My Home is You
by b.goddess
Summary: A sequel to 'Arranged Marriage'. As Brittany and Santana tied the knot what else could they possibly want? Are they truly ready for marriage and family life? Did Santana truly learn what 'maturity' and 'responsibility' mean? Married life is not as simple as they expected it to be.
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick note:

 **Thank you all so much for supporting 'Arranged Marriage'. This sequel wouldn't be possible without all of you who kept on reading the story from chapter 1 to the last.**

And for all those people who gave their advice, thank you and I appreciate all your words. I'll take note of everything you said to me.

So, I hope you like the continuation of their story. Kindly leave a feedback if you'd like. I'm open to suggestions and criticisms. Enjoy…

* * *

Our first night as newlyweds was so precious. I've never felt closer to Brittany before and the bond between us was just so beautiful. After making love for a few hours, my lovely wife drifted off to sleep. She deserved a peaceful night after all what she did for us. I stayed up late – way too late watching her in awe. I didn't imagine that life would turn up so good to me. Never in my wildest dream did I see this coming. Nevertheless, I was beyond exhilarated that something this astounding happened to me. Brittany was truly an angel, my angel. Mine.

I still had her beside me – wrapped up in my warm embrace and tangled up in sheets the next morning. She was so beautiful even with her eyes closed. I tried so much not to be a creeper but it was just so hard not to watch her sleep. But hey! I do get the privilege of watching my beautiful wife. She's mine after all. I looked up on the nightstand and glanced at the clock. It was just a little after ten. I smiled and kissed her forehead before I slowly untangled myself from her. I reluctantly pulled away and immediately regretted it when cool air hit my nakedness. Brittany stirred a little in the absence of warmth but I gently placed a pillow in her arms and pulled the covers up. I saw the tiny twinkle on her finger and looked down on my own. The biggest smile appeared suddenly on my face. It's official. We are legitimately and happily married.

I went straight to the small kitchen after putting on a robe. I checked on the fridge and there's nothing much in it aside from the bottle of wine left last night and some chocolates. _I should've thought about this._ I sighed. I wanted to make her breakfast in bed but tough luck! There's nothing here to cook. I felt a little disappointed and thought about calling a room service when a pair of slender arms snaked around my body.

"I know. I'm sorry I forgot to stuff the fridge for you." She kissed me on the cheek. "How about I make it up to you?" There's playfulness in her voice. I turned around and bit my lip.

"Britt – "

"Not _that_ , silly!" she chuckled. "Come on. Let's get dressed. I'm starving." She placed a chaste kiss on my lips before pulling me back into the bedroom.

Brittany pulled up everything for me. She took care of everything and I'm a little embarrassed because I think that I'm not doing anything good enough for her.

"You okay?" she said after getting dressed. I was sitting over the edge of the bed and watched her walk in front of me.

"Yeah, of course. I just can't believe of everything that happened. I'm really lucky to have you, Britt. I wish I could do more for you too, you know?" I sighed.

"Santana," she tipped my chin up and looked straight into my eyes. "If you only you know how happy I am to have you. That's everything I could ask for. _You_ are everything I could ever ask for." She left it at that and kissed me. The kiss was soft, gentle.

I placed my hands at her hips as the kiss started to deepen. Brittany tangled up her hand in my hair while the other rested on my shoulder. I pulled her closer and closer until she was sitting on top of me. She guided me back until I hit the bed. We parted for air and I kissed her jaw down to her neck. A strangled moan escaped her lips as I continue to mark her. _Mine_.

We were both panting after a few minutes.

"I think you are a little overdressed Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." I smirked up at her.

She nodded with a mischievous smile and bent down to whisper in my ear, "Well, aren't you gonna do something about it Mrs. Lopez-Pierce?"

I wasted no time undressing my wife. It wasn't clumsy or hurried. We took time relishing each other. I took time adoring every inch of her. _Man_ , _I'm one hell of a lucky woma_ n! I couldn't get enough of Brittany. She was my drug.

Our kisses switched from heated to more passionate, gentler. I slowly traced my hands down the familiar contours of my wife's body. I rolled our bodies together so I was on top of her. I looked down at her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. I lowered myself while kissing my way down. Brittany's hand found mine and she stopped me. I looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I… I want us to do this… together." She whispered.

I nodded in understanding what she needed. I changed my angle and positioned myself between her thighs. I slowly lowered myself until our centers met. I bit my lip trying to suppress the inevitable moan. I gently slid my hand around her back and eased my other palm up and down her sides. _God_ , she is perfect.

I moved above her again and hit the right spot. I repeated it over and over until we settled into perfect rhythm. I caressed her lips with mine. I tasted the sweetness that is Brittany. She consumed my mind, my body and my soul. She's the only one that will ever make me feel this whole.

Brittany's moans were like music to my ears. It was almost so quiet, so serene. The only sounds in our room are both our moans and the sound of our centers slapping together. I buried my nose to her hair. She smells like home as she always did. She was my perfect match. She was the innocence to my endless faults. She was the gentleness to my harshness. She was my compliment, my soulmate, my only one, my love… and my home.

"San – " Brittany grunted under me. " _Ugh! F-fuck! So… so freaking g-good!"_

Her hands roamed around my body relentlessly. Our pace quickened and I placed my hands on her chest and started massaging her breasts.

"Don't stop – " she said. "San…" Brittany's hands stopped and clung to my hips.

"Britt –" I groaned and shut my eyes. "Mmm… _ugh!"_

"Santana… San – don't stop! Don't stop!"

"I'm close, baby." I hissed as I felt myself over the edge. "So close…"

Both of us were breathing heavily.

" _Shit!_ Santana, _I'm coming – Ugh!"_

We're both moving in perfect rhythm, slowly then faster again. Our actions started to become sloppier and faster.

"Fuck!" I grunted as extreme pleasure washed over me. I felt the scratched of Brittany's nails as she screamed my name in pleasure. I felt her tensed up as hot liquid escape both our cores. Brittany trembled beneath me as we both helped each other came down from our highs. In minutes, we were tangled up in sheets again. We both panted like we've undergone some military training.

…

If I didn't know Brittany, I'd say that she lied when she said that she doesn't have any _experience_. She sure was a fast learner. After our 'brunch' in bed and our super 'hot' shower together we decided to head out since both of us needed energy if we wanted to keep up with each other. We're dressed in matching bikinis and light cover ups. Brittany handed me a pair of sunglasses while she put hers above her head.

"Gosh, so wonderful." I whispered when I looked around me. Fresh cool island breeze hit us when we stepped out of our suite. I marvelled at the breath taking sight around us – powdery white sand, calm ocean that reflected the clear blue sky above us, small bars and shacks in the distance, a few people playing volleyball and Frisbees… everything was perfect.

"Shall we?" asked Brittany beside me. She took my hand in hers and squeezed it gently. I nodded and she excitedly pulled me for our quick walk. In a few minutes, we were seated in a cozy dining called Bahamian Cookin'. The friendly host greeted us and gave the menu. We gave him our orders and left.

"So…" she smiled at me.

"So?" I smiled back.

"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce…"

"Yes, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce?"

She sighed. "Gosh, that sounds so surreal."

"And perfect." I added.

"You are perfect." She took my hand in hers. My hand fits hers like puzzle pieces. "What do you want to do after lunch?"

"You mean our late, late brunch." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Hey! It's not my fault we're eating this late." She pouted.

"Oh, really?" I challenged her. "Okay then. No more _wild kisses_ for you if that's the case."

Brittany's face turned pink. "San…" she whined.

"What?" I laughed. "Don't worry, babe. I was just kidding." I leaned forward and whispered. "You know I can't get enough of you, _wifey_." I winked at her and earned a laugh from her.

After lunch, we spent our afternoon doing underwater activities. We went snorkelling too. It was really scary at first but seeing how thrilled Brittany was, all of my anxiousness disappeared. After that, I relaxed for a bit in the hammock near the shacks. I watched as Brittany played and talked to some kids near the shore. There was a blonde girl who approached her and handed her something. Brittany lifted it up and I saw that it was a starfish. I didn't hear what she said to the girl, but from what I can see she was really touched by the sweet little girl. She kissed the girl on the cheek while the other kids gathered around her to look at the starfish. There are some cute giggles when Brittany said something to them. All of the kids were listening intently to her like she's some kind of a superhero. Later on, I heard they all shouted 'yes' so I continued watching them with curiosity.

Brittany stood up and walked closely to the shoreline. Brittany gave the starfish to the little girl and lifted her easily. She has her arms wrapped securely around the girl. The other kids started shouting again. "One… two… three… Free!" they shouted in unison. Then the girl threw the starfish back in the ocean. The kids exchanged high fives as Brittany put the girl down. She kneeled down and gave each kid a high five as well. She talked to them for a moment and the kids sprinted in different directions with so much hype.

I smiled as I saw her coming in my direction. "Looks like I've got some competition here."

"Yeah… those kids are so adorable." She said and sat beside me in the hammock.

"What did you tell them? Those kids seemed so relentless. They adore you already. Did they make you tired?"

"No, no. I'm good." Brittany shook her head. "Besides, I just had the perfect solution to tire them off." She smiled mischievously and tipped her chin towards the kids. I saw some kids picked something from the shore and threw it back to the sea.

"You're a genius." I said and kissed the top of her nose.

The sun was setting. The bay was almost so quiet. The crushing of the waves in the shore added to the beautiful atmosphere.

"You look so good with the kids. You handled them so well, Britt." I whispered.

"I can't wait to start our own family, San." Brittany whispered back.

In any occasion I would tense up in the mere mention of 'family'. The notion of having a family of my own scared me before. I know nothing about starting a family or even raising a kid. How am I supposed to know any of that? But, on second thought I am thrilled with the idea of it. Yes, I still have my reservations about it but I have too much love for Brittany to deprive her of that.

"Don't worry about that." I said and kissed her cheek. I wrapped my arms around her. "We're one step closer to that, my love. You're really good with kids and I know that you'll be a great mom soon." I stroked her arm up and down as she melted next to me.

"I love you, San. I really do. I want nothing more but to spend my eternity with you."

"And I plan to do just that too. I love you, Britt. We're in this together through eternity."

I kissed her as the sun set in the background. I want nothing more but to stay like this – to stay in love with her forever.

…

The next day, it was just before dusk and we're heading to another Bahamian restaurant for dinner when I noticed Brittany stopped in her tracks behind me.

"Britt?" I turned around and saw her smiling. I followed her line of vision and saw that she's staring inside an antique shop. "Wanna come inside?" I asked.

She looked at me incredulously then smirked. " _Wanky_."

I just shook my head and laughed while opening the door for her to come in. "After you, mi amor." I said as she entered and I walked right behind her.

We looked around inside and saw some interesting stuffs though most of them look so scrappy and well – _old_.

"Are you looking for anything specific?" asked the lady behind me. I turned around and was surprised to see that she's a little too young to be called a lady. She was just my height but looked a lot younger, young like a teenager.

"Oh, no… we're just looking around and see if my wife would want something." I replied politely.

"Newlyweds I see." She said a little too formal. "Well, I hope you guys find something you like. Just call me if you need anything." She turned and went at the back of the cash register.

"Yeah. Thanks!" I smiled and scratched the back of my head.

"Hey, San! Look." Brittany lifted a necklace placed in an old jewellery box. I stepped closer to take a look at it.

"It is pretty." I said. The necklace is a silver one with an infinity pendant. The pendant is covered with small sapphire gemstones. "It suits you, Britt. Do you want that?"

Brittany pouted and shook her head.

"Why? What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing… it's just… it's missing some stones. And it's broken." She said in a lower voice and I looked closely. She's right. It's not noticeable when afar. Brittany put it back inside the jewellery box.

"Well, maybe I can find something better." She gave me a hopeful smile and walked around the shop again.

When Brittany's out of sight I took the jewellery box and went to the cashier. The young lady smiled at me knowingly. I gave her my card immediately but she shook her head.

"Take it as a gift from me." she said in a low voice.

"Oh, no… I'd like to pay for it. See…"

"Laura. My name's Laura." She smiled.

"See Laura..." I showed her the price tag for she might not be aware how expensive that necklace is. "It would cost this shop quite some dollar."

"I insist."

"But –" I tried to object but she cut me off.

"Okay, let's just have a deal. I'll let you pay for that one but the other items would come for free… and as I can see from your wife's cart it would be quite a lot."

I glanced back and searched for my wife. As I spotted her I saw that she now has a shopping cart with several items in it.

"Well?" Laura said as I faced her again.

"Okay, I'll take this as a gift. But only this one!" I warned her playfully.

She laughed and nodded. "It's a deal." Laura took the jewellery box and wrapped it in a paper bag.

"Can I get that one later? I'll look around to see if I can find something else." I said and she nodded kindly.

I roamed around the shop again to look at some stuffs. I want to surprise Brittany with the necklace and I don't want her to get suspicious so I really should add more stuff to my purchase.

"Wow! Are we planning to put up our own antique shop, babe?"

Brittany tensed, a little startled but she instantly relaxed when I wrapped my arms around her from behind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, love."

"It's okay. I think I may need your help with this, San." She's looking at an old photograph.

"Okay, mind if I put these in your cart first?" I showed her what I got and she smiled genuinely.

"Those are pretty, San! Where did you find them?" Brittany lifted up one of the angel figurines.

"I just saw them near the cashier." I shrugged.

"Oh wow… I bet abuela and mom would love these."

"Yeah, I hope so. You know how those two love their collection of sacred stuffs."

"They'd love these for sure."

"Okay, so… what do we have here?" I diverted my attention to the old photo.

"What's your opinion about this painting?"

"Wait, it's a painting?"

"Yeah. Clever isn't it? It looks like a simple, old photograph but really it is a painting."

"How did you know?"

Brittany just stared at me blankly.

"Oh right." I muttered under my breath and lowered my gaze. How could I forget? Brittany took photography classes and attended some seminars about it so I bet she really knows the distinction between a photo and a painting. She smiled understandingly.

"Okay, so I know that this might look simple at first but take a better look." She tipped her chin and focused on the pho– _painting_. I mean, she focused on the painting. I took my time to stare at her. Her brows are slightly furrowed while she bit her bottom lip in concentration. She looked so adorable and so fascinatingly beautiful.

"San… look at the painting please?" she said without even looking at me. I was immediately brought out of my reverie and looked at the painting. When I looked closely, it's a painting of a snow covered lake, some woods and a pink petal that seemed odd.

"It looks… sad?" It came out of my lips more like a question than a suggestion.

Brittany took a second to agree and nodded though she was still in deep thought.

"I agree." She said in a low voice. "It's… sad and heavy though that little petal did the trick."

"What trick?"

"A contrast, perhaps?" she twisted her lips and furrowed her brow further. "Death and rebirth." She said simply.

"Oh." I nodded in understanding. I smiled inwardly at how she's really concentrating at the painting. Who says she's nothing but beauty? Mind you, my wife has a gifted mind and heart. "We should take it then, my love."

She smiled sweetly at me and muttered 'thanks' before kissing me innocently. I carefully took the painting and gently placed it on the cart. It was not that big as I expected. After an hour we finally had all the items wrapped. I thanked Laura and promised to visit her again before we leave. With all the stuffs in hand we decided to head back to our suite first before we head for dinner.

…

I was awakened by the loud sound of thunder. My eyes immediately opened and turned to Brittany who was lying still behind me. I sighed when I saw that she's still peacefully sleeping. I carefully wrapped my arms around her body protectively. She stirred a little under me.

"Mmm… Sanny?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Go back to sleep, love." I whispered and kissed her temple.

Another loud thunder echoed around us. Brittany tensed up and on instinct I tightened my hold on her.

"It's okay. I'm here, Britt."

Brittany quivered uncomfortably as she buried her face in the crook of my neck. It was raining pretty hard outside. I looked at the clock and it's only a little after six. I saw several streaks of light flashed followed by a raging sound again. Brittany's grip tightened around my shirt. I sighed and cleared my throat. There's only one thing I can think of.

 _"_ _Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in_

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

Kiss me like you wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
This feels like falling in love  
Falling in love  
We're falling in love

Settle down with me  
And I'll be your safety  
You'll be my lady

I was made to keep your body warm  
But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms"

Brittany's body relaxed slowly. I smiled and pressed my lips to her temple again. She shifted under me and pulled me closer to her. I continued singing once she's settled comfortably again.

 _"_ _Oh no,  
My heart's against your chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with this feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now_

Kiss me like you wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
This feels like falling in love  
Falling in love  
We're falling in love

Yeah I've been feeling everything  
From hate to love  
From love to lust  
From lust to truth  
I guess that's how I know you  
So I hold you close to help you give it up

So kiss me like you wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
This feels like falling in love  
Falling in love  
We're falling in love…"

I hummed the song again. Minutes later I felt her arms hung loosely around me and her steady breathing. The lighting and thunder stopped but it was still raining hard outside. We planned to sail and catch fish today. Brittany would surely be disappointed because we have to postpone those activities for today.

I looked at the clock again suggesting that it was now a little after seven. I slowly untangled myself from Brittany and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When I opened the fridge an idea struck me.

After another two hours, Brittany was finally awake.

"Hmm… smells so good in here. I thought I was dreaming." She said and leaned against the bedroom door. "Whoa! What's all these?" Her mouth hung agape when she saw the makeshift love fort I made in the small living room. There are scented candles everywhere. It was perfect because it's a little dark outside because of the rain. Light instrumental music played in the background.

"Well, since we're gonna be spending the rest of the day indoors and I know you're a little disappointed that we have to move our planned activities tomorrow… I decided to make something special for my beautiful wife." I said while plating the rest of the bacon. I cooked omelette and some waffles, prepared fruit salad and her favourite strawberry and yogurt smoothie.

Brittany went behind me and wrapped her arms around me. She kissed the shell of my ear and whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I whispered back. She stepped beside me to help me cook but I patted her hands away. "Hey! Hey! Don't. Just go there." I pointed to the makeshift fort in front of the TV. "Relax and pick a movie."

"But San…" she pouted. "I want to help. I promise I won't burn anything."

"I know." I kissed her pout away. "But I want to do this for you. You always do stuffs like this for me at home. So, let me just serve you for today and do my duty as your wife okay?"

She cooed and smiled sweetly. "Hm, okay! But let me just make your coffee."

"Oh, yes please!" I sighed and went to fridge to get the whipped cream and chocolate syrup for the waffles.

When everything's done, I arranged them in the tray and brought it on the coffee table in the living room.

"So what are we watching?" I asked.

Brittany pulled me to her lap and gave me a seductive kiss. She smiled at me knowingly.

…

We relaxed and enjoyed our whole trip to Bahamas. During our last night, Brittany took me into a yacht for a fancy dinner. She's wearing a taupe gown with her hair up which took my breath away every time I look at her. Damn, she's perfect.

"San, is there a problem? Don't you like the food?" she looked worried.

"Oh, no… everything is fine. The food is really great."

"We can get you something else if you want?"

I shook my head. Little did she know that she's all I want. She's all that I'll ever want.

"Three or four?" I asked.

"What?" she scrunched her brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I took a sip of my champagne and cleared my throat. "How many kids should we have?"

Brittany choked on her food.

"Shoot!" I stood up and rubbed her back gently. I handed her a glass of water as the waiter approached us to see if something's wrong. I told him that everything's fine and he's slightly hesitant to leave us alone at first. That's one thing I noticed about the people in here. They're really sweet and thoughtful to their guests.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean – "

"Sanny, it's okay. I'm alright. Take your seat."

I looked at her and she nodded in reassurance. I sat opposite her again. "I'm sorry. I'm so stupid."

"No you're not." She smiled. "I love that you're thinking about it too."

"Really?"

"Yeah… well, I know that we still have a lot to prepare. And I'm sure neither of us is ready to have our lady babies yet. But, I'm still glad that it's in your thoughts."

"I don't know. I just… I never imagined before that I'd be sitting here talking about kids or family. You know me, Britt. I'm not a big fan of family. But just seeing you there when we grow older I can't stop thinking about our future together. I can't stop planning it all in my head."

"Thank you for even considering having kids with me, San. I really appreciate it."

"I didn't just consider it, Britt. I'm thinking about it and to be honest I'm thrilled. I mean, I'm thrilled about our future together."

"Yeah, me too, Sanny." She smiled.

Both of us enjoyed the food as comfortable silence enveloped us.

"Will you… let me go back to work again?" she suddenly asked.

I opened my mouth to say something but I really haven't thought about this.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Of course you can still run your café, Britt. I will never get in the way of that."

"I mean, go back to the Empire."

Oh, that! I cleared my throat and diverted my gaze elsewhere.

"Do you want to?" I asked after a moment of silence in our table.

"Not if you're handling the Tower. It will be a suicide for our marriage."

"Yeah." I sighed. I know that the first thing my dad will do next year is put me in charge of the whole company and other operations.

"Don't overthink, San." She took my hand in hers. The warmth of her hand soothed me instantly. "I will not go back to the Empire. We talked about this. Besides, I am really happy running my own business."

"Are you sure? I mean, Britt, if you really want to, we can make some arrangements. We can make this work."

"I don't want to risk whatever we have now, San. We just got married. I don't want anything to get in the way of our happiness okay?"

"Yeah, you're right. But just so you know, I'm not planning on spending my whole life running our family business. I promised that I won't be like our dads. I won't get lost. I already have everything I needed and wanted here… with me." I brought Brittany's hand to my lips and that immediately put a smile on her face.

Just as we're finishing our dessert, the live band played some soft music. Brittany stood up and offered her hand to me while eyeing the dance floor.

"May I have this dance?" she asked and curtsied.

"Yes, you may." I said and placed my hand on top of hers.

We walked in the middle of the dance floor as other couples swayed to the soft music around us. I crossed my hands on Brittany's shoulders as she pulled me closer.

"Three." She suddenly blurt out.

"Huh?" It took me a moment to realize what she said. "Oh."

"Yeah. How about you?"

"Well, I wanted just as much. Depending on how cute they would turn up to be." I winked at her. Brittany giggled slightly. "I hope they'll have your eyes."

"I hope they'll have your nose… and your cheeks… and your lips." She said while kissing my nose, cheeks and lips.

"Well, I'm lacking some more blondes in my life so I think you should add more to that, don't you think?"

Brittany giggled again. "Indeed. Let's see what I can do about that."

Brittany twirled me around as the song approached its end and dipped me. As I got back to my feet, she gave me another searing kiss. Another song started as fireworks lighted up the sky above us. Brittany, never one to give up dancing, pulled me close as we started another dance.

* * *

 **So what do you think about this guys?** I'm sorry. I'm a little rusty when it comes to writing. Give me some time to shake everything inside me again. Anyways, thank you all for reading and I hope y'all like this little sequel of 'Arranged Marriage'.


	2. Chapter 2: Kryptonite

**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY PEOPLE!**

 **(And Happy Valentine's Day to you who inspire me to finish this chapter. Thank you! You never fail to make me smile every day.)**

 **Dedicated to all the single ladies out there. Lol! XD**

 **Anyways… Sorry for the long wait! You know how life is. I hope you like this another chapter! Enjoy…**

* * *

Streaks of light woke me up from a peaceful slumber which Santana put me into. Yeah, she'll always have that effect on me. She sat beside me while my head was on her lap. She played with my hair gently.

"Did you sleep well, my love?" She asked with a loving smile.

"Yes, I did… I dreamt of you as always." I said as I stretched out and sat beside her.

"Good." She leaned in to kiss me on the lips and I sighed contentedly.

She slowly got out of bed and motioned for the breakfast on the coffee table. I saw from the corner of my eyes that all our things were packed. It was the end of our trip to Bahamas, but little did I know of the last stop that Santana had prepared for us.

"Babe, do you mind if we make a slight detour before we head home?" Santana asked while stripping off, getting ready for shower.

"Oh, okay. Where are we going?" I asked curiously and went to wait for her in the shower.

"You'll see." She winked at me and pulled me under the cold water. I squealed and attempted to run from her but she tightly secured me in her arms.

...

We arrived at one of the prestigious hotels here in Paris just as the sun was setting. Santana had made a very specific reservation. The view in our room was spectacular to say the least. It's like we were just in front of the Eiffel Tower. We drank some wine in the small balcony of our room as we both stare in awe around the city.

"This… is all so perfect, Santana. Thank you!" I whispered while we cuddled in the lounge chair.

"We've always wanted to go here remember? This is nothing compared to what you did, Britt." She whispered back as if afraid of breaking the trance we were in.

"You really had thought about this, don't you?" I smiled. She nodded and pulled me closer as she rested her head on my left shoulder. "I love you."

"And I love you too, Brittany." She looked up at me and I dipped down to place a soft kiss on her lips. We smiled through the kiss. Nothing will ever be more perfect than having the woman of your dreams cuddled up with you sharing the same passion and love.

The city was even more beautiful at night. The buildings and other establishments started to light up every dark corner there is. It's like watching stars flicker slowly from a distance as the night take over the city.

"City of light…" Santana said as if voicing out my thoughts. Paris is known as the City of Light not just because of the illuminating lights the city has, but, also because it has been a center of education and philosophy for many centuries now.

"Wanna do something fun tonight?" she asked.

"Is there anything else more fun and relaxing and wonderful than this?" I asked coyly and kissed the top of her head. She gave me that look again – that look that made my heart swell and stomach flip like crazy. Then she smiled appreciatively.

"I wish we could stay like this forever, Britt." Santana pulled back from my embrace only to lean in and place a chaste kiss on my lips. She rested her forehead against mine.

"We can, San. I'll always be here with you every step and milestone of your life. I told you, I'm not going anywhere." I smiled and kissed her again.

Before she can say anything her phone buzzed. I gave her a questioning and concerned look but she gave me a reassuring smile.

"It's just a reminder, B. I've made a dinner reservation for us. Want to take a walk with me?"

"Oh, where are we going?" I asked while we both went inside to change our clothes.

"You'll see." She winked at me.

"Okay. Is this a déjà vu or what?" I shook my head and playfully rolled my eyes at her.

"Just trust me okay? I'll make sure that we'll both have a great time tonight."

"Okay, San." I sighed as I put on my coat ready to go. She went to open the door and grabbed my hand.

We passed by some alleys and streets that were somewhat a little crowded. I enjoyed walking around though because the place seemed so alive even at night. The ambiance of the city was really so romantic. I can't help the smile that crept up on my face.

"We're almost there, love." Santana squeezed my hand.

My mouth hung agape when we stopped in front of Moulin Rouge.

"I thought you said that getting a reservation here was impossible!" I gasped and pulled her into a tight hug. I was so excited that I almost lifted her up for us to get inside. But before we went inside, Santana and I took a picture outside since we're not allowed to bring our camera inside.

A little after seven, we were finally seated for dinner. We had a three course French dinner served with half bottle of wine. The food were all good especially the Exotic "Tendresse", Mango & Passion Fruit.

I was so excited in my seat and I knew that Santana's gaze never left me since we entered. A professional photographer stopped in front of us to take a picture and I swear that was the only time Santana diverted her gaze elsewhere.

"How are you enjoying Paris so far?" she said with a smirk playing on her face.

"We've only been here for just a couple of hours and I've had nothing but great time with you, San. I can't believe we are finally about to watch those Doriss Girls. I've seen them on some newspapers and read some reviews about the show before. I think we'll have a great time." I leaned closer as Santana stared at my lips the whole time I spoke. "I also heard the dancers are topless most of the time…" I trailed off as Santana's eyes widened a bit. Even in her tan complexion, I still saw a faint flush on her cheeks. She cleared her throat took a sip of her wine.

I chuckled at how she acted. I lifted my foot and dragged it up to Santana's thigh to tease her more.

"Britt, stop it. It's not funny." She gave me a warning look.

"What?" I asked her innocently. "I'm just giving you a heads up, Sanny." I cooed and chuckled again.

"Never mind, you're such a – "

She was cut off when the theatre lights went off. The curtains slowly raised and the entire troupe of dancers appeared on stage. We were so enthralled by the colourful costumes of the Doriss dancers. The girls looked so breath-taking though Santana looked more splendid than most of them. I chanced a glance on Santana beside me. Her eyes were fixed on the stage. There was a glint of awe behind her eyes. I took her hand in mine and she gave me an appreciative smile. She squeezed my hand every so often during those outstanding acts that were performed.

At the end of the third scene I moved closer to her and whispered, "Enjoying it so far?" she looked at me and I wiggled my brows mischievously.

She playfully rolled her eyes at me. "Better take note of those moves, Britt. Might come in handy later on..." She gave me her trademark smirk. It was her telling me that two can play this game.

I gulped a big lump forming in my throat thinking of a comeback to counter her but then came up with nothing. "Though, on the second thought, I'd really prefer your animalistic and impromptu lap dance." She whispered.

I felt my breath hitched at the warm breath that hit my neck. She left a chaste kiss there before she fixed her gaze on the show again.

I tried to focus on the last portion of the show but Santana made it so hard. She started teasing me with her fingers tracing small circles in my thigh.

The highlight of the show was the Doriss girls dance the world famous French Cancan. The show lasted ninety minutes long and I'd say that there was never a dull moment. From the costumes to the actors and acts to the music and dance… all were perfectly executed. The show was really remarkable and I bet my wife had a great time too.

After we got our coats back, we decided to head back straight to the hotel since it's kinda late.

"That was so fun." Santana's smile mirrored mine as we walked hand in hand.

"It was! Thank you for bringing me there, San. This honeymoon will be so unforgettable."

"Yeah, we can do this again next year… or whenever you want, B."

"Thank you, San. You know what's more unforgettable in this whole trip?" I asked as we're nearing the entrance of the hotel.

"What?" she asked.

"You. Everything about you." I said simply. I stopped walking when I noticed that we're actually in front of the Eiffel Tower. I stepped closer to her and cupped her cheek. "I love you, Santana. I'll never get tired of saying and proving it to you."

"I love you too, Brittany. I won't get tired of hearing you say that."

I closed the gap between us and I felt her smile through the kiss. I can't really describe how happy and overwhelmed I was.

…

We woke up a little late the next morning. Santana was still sprawled up in bed, peacefully asleep. I withheld the chuckle that was about to escape my lips when I remembered the activities we had done the night before. Instead, I brushed some stubborn locks away from her face and leaned down to kiss her cheek. I carefully reached for the camera in the nightstand and focused it on her. I took a couple of shots of her peaceful façade then placed it back where I got it. I drew the covers up to her naked back before went to put on my robe which hung in the chair near the window.

I started gathering up the clothes that were clumsily scattered on the floor and after that I decided to make a call. Santana woke up only after I had taken a shower. She was laying on her side, head resting on her hand and quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." I bent towards her and placed a kiss on top of her head, leaving droplets of water from my hair on her face. She scrunched her nose and chuckled. "Oops!" I smiled sheepishly at her and wiped the droplets away.

"Hit the shower, San. I'm starving." I sat beside her while stroking her arm.

"Britt, after everything that we did last night, how can you expect me to stand and let alone move around? Can we just stay here and have a lazy day?" Santana sighed and pouted.

"And when did you learn to pout?" I gasped playfully.

"Britt!" Santana whined and buried her face in the pillow.

"I promise I won't tire you out today." I said and kissed her arm over and over until she lifted her gaze and looked at me. After having a silent conversation with our eyes she sighed. "You won't regret this." I assured her. "Besides, we'll be going home tomorrow and –"

"Who said we're going home tomorrow?"

"San, I checked your phone and you have to get back to work on Monday. May I just remind you that today is Saturday already."

"But _papi_ said we can take as much time as we need." She whined again. I know that Santana's a bit disappointed as much as I was but I know that we have to get back to reality soon.

"I know, San. It's just that we are putting a lot of stuffs on hold. I talked to Tina the other day, she said that she needed to go back to China with Mike – "

"Wait, wait, wait. Who's Mike?"

"Mike's her boyfriend, remember?" She gave me a puzzled look. "He's at the wedding. The Asian dancer…" I explained patiently waiting for her to remember.

"Oh, the _other Asian_." She said as realization hit her. I nodded and gave her a tight lip smile. "I thought he was her brother. Weird."

"Yeah, well, stop calling him 'other Asian' okay? It's already weird that they share the same last name. Anyways, she'll have to go back to China because her grandpa passed away. So, no one's really taking charge over the café. I suggested closing it for a while 'til we get back. But I have to think of the baristas there, San. Most of them are studying and they really need the money."

"Oh, gosh. How's she holding up?"

"She's fine. She sounded exhausted but Mike's there for her. She assured me that she'll be alright. So, I say we go home tomorrow so that we can also have a day of rest before we go back to work by Monday." I trailed off.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." She sighed and I gave her another expectant look. "Okay, okay." She stood up and held her arms in defeat. My mouth immediately went dry upon seeing her glorious nakedness. She walked to the bathroom while stretching and teasingly swayed her hips before she disappeared into the shower.

"Tease!" I said loud enough and heard her chuckle back.

She went out of the shower just as I was about to finish drying my hair. She put on casual clothes – skinny jeans, a jersey top and the converse that I bought her during one of our dates in New York.

She joined me in front of the mirror while she put a light make up on her face. I sat in silence while I just watch her every move. Once she's done, she bit her lip when she caught me staring.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. You're just so beautiful." I smiled when I saw her blush a little. She cleared her throat and stood straight.

"Do you want me to fix your hair?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, yes please!" I nodded and handed her the brush. She brushed my hair a couple more times while we exchanged glances and giggles. She pulled my hair up in a neat pony tail and kissed the top of my head.

Once we were all done, we gathered our jackets before we left the room.

" _Bonjour mes demoiselles_." The concierge greeted us at the lobby and we smiled warmly at him.

"Hi, I'm Brittany and this is my wife, Santana. I was the one who talked to you a while ago over the phone…" I trailed off.

"Oh, of course... of course." He said in his French tone. "Well, the one that you requested is waiting outside. Shall we?"

I nodded and Santana gave me a questioning look. I just shrugged as we followed him out. Alex, the concierge, gave me the key to the red scooter that I requested.

"Anything else, madam?" he asked politely.

"Nope. I think I got it. Thanks, Alex."

"My pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your day, ladies." He bowed his head politely before going back inside the hotel.

"Britt, what's this? Where are we going?" Santana looked confused for a second but I gave her a reassuring smile.

"I don't want us to walk while we go around Paris today so I thought that we could wander using this." I tilted my head to the scooter.

"Wow! You are amazing." She stepped forward to kiss me.

"Alright, come here… let's put this on you." I gently placed the helmet on her head and helped her sat comfortably on the scooter. "Are you comfortable?"

Santana nodded and asked, "What about you?"

"I'm good. I don't really need a helmet, San. Besides, I won't be driving too fast." I know how much Santana worried when I drive stuffs like this.

"You better make sure of that." She said with concern riveted in her voice. She's not really fond seeing me drive stuffs like this. She hated the idea of me driving my motorbike in New York.

"I promise." I said as we started to head to the restaurant I had in mind.

After a short drive, we were seated inside Strada Café. According to some reviews they make awesome coffees which I know would make Santana really happy. Santana was slightly distracted with the peaceful ambiance and aroma of the place. So I took the liberty of ordering for the both of us.

I ordered large macchiato for her and strawberry milkshake for me, egg omelette, French toast, chicken sandwich, nuggets, Caesar salad, chocolate mud cake and cheesecake. When the orders arrived, Santana's expression was priceless.

"Britt," she opened and closed her mouth not knowing what to say. I smiled sheepishly at her. "Jeez… you're eating like there are several people inside you." She muttered after a short while.

"Oh, there will be soon." I joked back which made her laugh and shook her head.

I was right to bring her here. Her face immediately lit up and expression softened when she took a sip of her coffee.

"Impressive…"

"I know right?" I smiled and started stuffing my mouth with nuggets and omelette.

"You're adorable. But slow down, babe."

Santana leaned in after a few minutes and removed some crumbs from my face. She licked her thumb after and gave a satisfied hum. I ended up eating most of the food.

"I wonder where you put all those food. Jeez, Britt, _we_ really need to hit the gym when we go home. I'm not ready to say goodbye to these abs yet." She said pointing dramatically at her tummy.

"Hm, last night I just licked them. They're still intact, babe, don't worry." I shrugged and Santana almost spilled out her coffee. "Oops!"

She cleared her throat and looked around making sure that no one heard what I said.

"Okay, and speaking of home, Britt… we still haven't talked about where we'll live after this. I mean I'm sure mami and papi won't mind us staying at their house but I'd love the idea of having our own home."

I nodded to assure her that I understand her statement. To be honest, I haven't even thought about that. I was just so focus on the wedding and this honeymoon. But I'm sure we'll figure it out.

"I know. You're parents are great but I agree that we should get our own." I took her hand in mine and squeezed it. "Besides, you can be really loud sometimes, San. But don't worry, it's so hot." I added.

She gave me an offended look and retorted. "Ooh… says the girl who _always_ wakes me up in the middle of the night just to get at it." I know Santana wanted to sound as bitchy as she was but didn't sound like that at all. It sounded more as a joke than a retort. I'm starting to believe that maybe our friends are right, I'm her soft spot. I'm her kryptonite.

We both stared at each other for a while and burst into fits of laughter.

"Gosh, we are so weird together." I sighed and kissed her knuckles.

"We are." She wiped away the lone tear from her eye. "So, I was thinking that we should just buy a house in New York too. Maybe we can find something that's closer to both our work place."

"Sure. I was thinking the same thing too. Maybe we can schedule it some time when we get back. The sooner, the better. I know you'll get in a lot of meetings once we're home so I want you to set a schedule for us, okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Bossy pants."

After our brunch, I took Santana to some museums. We started off in Musee d'Orsay. I know, some words here are really hard to pronounce. So, be thankful that you can't hear Santana say them. The museum was a renovated train station that displays world-famous collection of paintings on three floors. Next, we went to Musee de Montmartre and Renoir Gardens which housed several collections of artworks. It's definitely one of the most beautiful museums in Paris. Then, we went to Musee du Louvre in which we had another awesome and fascinating experience.

I knew that Santana was growing tired but she can't help herself from dragging me everywhere. She nearly convinced me to stay another day here but I can't cave in unless we want to show up like jetlagged bosses at work.

After another short stroll, we ate our late lunch in some diner that played great jazz music. It was so relaxing and we really need that after our museum hopping. When we finished lunch, I took my beautiful wife to some eclectic and high fashion boutiques. It took Santana forever to choose from one dress to another while I tried on some cosmetics and perfume to give to her later on.

"Britt – " Santana called my attention after paying for the stuffs I bought for her. "What do you think? This one or this one?" she asked lifting the fashionable coats she's holding.

"Take them both. I'll pay."

Santana sent me a giddy look and nodded. She looked like a kid excited for Christmas morning. I still like to treat her every time and buy stuffs that she likes even how expensive that is. Money was never an issue to both of us. She deserves to be spoiled and to be honest I just like the way her face lights up, her cheeks blush, her eyes twinkle with excitement and her lips curve in that heart-warming smile whenever I give in to her desires.

We went back to the hotel just in time to watch the sunset. It was always so beautiful to witness something as peaceful and solemn as this.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked as I slid my arms around my wife's shoulder. Santana was sitting on the lounge chair while I stood behind her. I bent down to rest my chin on top of her head.

"Yes, I'm more than okay." She said with a yawn.

"Do you want to take a nap before we go out for dinner?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Alright. C'mere." She got up and we both went inside. I pulled the covers up for her and made sure that she's comfortable. I lay down beside her and hugged her from behind. Her soft breathing and sweet murmurs lulled me into sleep. The last thing I heard was a soft ' _love you_ ' before my mind went off to dreamland.

…

Our nap took longer than we ought to. We woke up at almost eight o'clock so we ended up having dinner at nine. After dinner, we decided to make the most out of our stay here so we went to some cozy nightclub, it looked similar to Puck's though it seemed to be a little crowded so I kept an eagle eye on my wife who was wearing a sleeveless see-through bodycon dress and killer heels that I bought for her.

Was it really so hot in here or was it just my wife?

We started off with some cocktails but as the place started to get really hopping and some Techno was thrown in, Santana ordered some tequila shots. It didn't go unnoticed by me how her eyes lingered in my lips down to my jaw and stopped for a short while in my chest. Her cheeks flushed every time I caught her leering.

"Do you want some more?" I shouted beside her, the music was really blasting like there's no tomorrow. We almost downed a couple of shots and it was really starting to kick in.

Santana looked at me inquisitively and shook her head. She knew that I was getting a little drunk.

"Okay, I'll just get us some water." I offered and she smiled. I stood up but she caught my arm.

"I'll just use the ladies, meet me back up here? I love you." She said and gave my arm a light squeeze.

"Okay." I shouted and went to the bar.

I picked up the bottles of water from the counter when I felt a hand sneaking around my waist. I was blinded by the fuzzy bright lights around the club and I felt like my mind was spinning already. I smiled lazily as Santana's warm breath hit the back of my neck.

Warm arms wrapped around me when I stumbled back. She started to dance over some beats of the music and suddenly I felt rough lips connected to my shoulders. Shit! This is not Santana –

"Oh, hell to no!" I heard my wife shouted behind me and I immediately spun around. The moment I settled my gaze on her, her fist landed square on the nose of the man who had his hand on my lower back. "Get your fucking hands off of my wife…" the rage behind her voice was clear even with the loud music.

"Wife? What the – " the man touched his bleeding nose but he kept his other arm securely around me. "Jeez! You – "

Before the man even completed his insult, my wife's fist landed on his face again which brought him in a semi-unconscious state on the ground. Santana just rolled her eyes on the dramatic way he landed.

"No one, I repeat, no one touches my _wife_ aside from me. Got it?"

"You fucking stupid dike!" He murmured and got on his feet. Some people might have seemed to notice him but they didn't give him much attention.

"What did you just say?" Santana snapped, ready to lunge at him again but I stopped her this time. The man glared at us for a second before he disappeared in the crowd.

"San…" I hugged her from behind. "Let's just go." Santana instantly calmed down at my touch. She sighed exasperatingly and nodded.

…

"Sanny, you should've never done that." I said as I gently took her injured hand in mine and placed an icepack on top. Santana was sitting over the edge of the bed while I stood in front of her.

We were back in the hotel minutes after the incident. The whole ride back here was filled with me soothing Santana's anger.

"I'm sorry. I was just… when I saw him… I thought…" Santana clearly was still pissed. She brought her other hand to massage her temples. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't want to hurt him but when I saw him attacking you like that… I just lost it. I'm about to go all Lima Heights on his sorry ass if you didn't held me back." There was a slight bitterness in her tone.

"Look," I sighed and kneeled in front of her. "I know that you just did what you have to do to protect me. It's really sweet and I appreciate that, San."

"I'm sorry I ruined our last night here, Britt –"

"Sanny, you didn't ruin anything." I assured her. I lifted her chin up and stared straight into her brown orbs. "You didn't ruin anything." I repeated. "I'm just worried about you, you know. He could've hurt you worse than this." I motioned to her injured hand. "Does it hurt?"

"No." She said but I gave her a disbelieving look. She shrugged, "Just a little."

I nodded and removed the icepack from her hand. There's no more swelling which was a good thing, but, there were still tiny dots of blood that formed on her knuckles. She looked apologetic so I kissed each of her knuckles gently to assure her that I was not mad.

"We just need to have your hand check when we go home."

"But – "

"No." I shook my head firmly.

"Britt, it's just – "

"I said no." I stood up and went to the sink to place the icepack.

"Brittany –"

"No, Santana!"

Santana sighed in defeat and I heard her muttered ' _ridiculous_ ' and crashed down to bed. I gathered pairs of shorts and tees for me and Santana to change into. We helped each other to remove our dresses and changed into matching clothes.

I turned on the TV and we went back to bed. I opened my arms for Santana and she instantly melted into me. I kissed her good night and she was slowly drifting off to sleep.

"You really looked hot beating the crap out of him though. It's so sexy." I whispered and kissed her forehead.

"Mhmm. I knew you'd say that." She said sleepily. "I love you, B." I smiled watching her dozed off.

"I love you too, Santana." I said back feeling contented and complete.

* * *

 **How was it? Hope you liked it.**

 **I'd love to hear some suggestions from you. If you can think of any, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Typical Married Life

**Apologies for the long wait...**

 **Here's another chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

"How's your day, Sanny?" Brittany immediately wrapped her arms around me and pecked my lips when I arrived at the café. Brittany and I have been home for two days now. She led me to her office and grabbed my bag to rest it beside hers.

I rubbed my temples as I sat down in front of her desk.

"Bad day?" She sighed.

"Not really. I'm just a little sleepy. You woke me up so early this morning, Britt."

"Oh." She chuckled. "Sorry."

I shook my head and laughed at her. "Come here." I said and patted my lap. She immediately sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around me. "I missed you." I said and she gave me a chaste kiss.

"I missed you too." She sighed and rested her forehead against mine.

"I wish we could go back to Bahamas and have a lazy day every day. I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night just to hear you scream my name." I laughed as I saw Brittany turning pink. "I missed it."

"San!" she pouted.

"What?"

"Stop making fun of me!" She was about to stand up but I tightened my hold on her.

"I am so not making fun of you." I defended.

"Oh, gosh! This is so embarrassing!"

"Babe, I swear I'm not making fun of you."

"You are! But never mind." She smirked. "I know how much you love it. You're just playing hard to get sometimes."

"Of course not!"

"Yes, you are!" she teased.

"Fine!" I huffed in my seat. "I am. I'm just doing that to tease you. But, yeah, how can I resist? I have the hottest wife in the world."

"Oh yeah?" she whispered and bit her lip.

I nodded my head as if suddenly entranced by the blue orbs that stared right back at me. Brittany closed the gap between us and I closed my eyes appreciating the serene moment we shared. I missed this. I missed kissing her. I missed breathing the same air as her. Creepy, I know. I just missed her so bad. It's like my mind was somewhere with her all day. I barely even listened to the meeting we had back in the office. I was just so distracted missing my favorite blonde beside me.

"How's your hand? Did you have it checked already?"

"Britt, I told you – "

"So you haven't?" she frowned.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Tomorrow, okay?"

"You always say that. I thought we had an agreement about that." she finally stood up and walked behind her desk to fix some papers.

"Agreement? You practically made that decision on your own." I said. "I told you I am okay. It's nothing. It's not like it's my first time knocking out some stupid jackass. I've done worst in the past, trust me."

This time, it was her who rolled her eyes at me.

"But Santana – "

"Britt, baby, it's nothing okay? Don't make a big deal out of this please?"

"Fine." She whined. "But next time it happens we will not have any of this discussions, okay?"

"Got it, babe." I nodded firmly.

"Good."

"So, did you find anything interesting on the web?" I said changing the subject quickly. Brittany and I have decided to look for some houses that we can choose from since we really need to have our own.

"Hm, I called Bash this morning because he knows someone who can help us look for a house for a really good deal."

"Oh really? So, what did he say?"

"He said that he'll meet me here tomorrow so he can introduce us to his friend."

"Bash is here?" I asked, surprised to know that Sebastian's here again.

"He never left. He's staying with Kurt."

"Wait! Hold up. Are they, like, together now or something?" I scrunched my perfect brows in confusion. Brittany gave a soft chuckle and walked closer. She took my hand in hers and I can't help the smile that crept into my face. Our hands perfectly fit together.

"No, Santana. They're just friends. He's just helping Kurt with some designs since they really did a great job designing our gowns. They should probably team up in the near future."

"Okay, that's interesting."

"Well, yeah. But, don't try to pester Kurt because of it."

"Oh, actually now that you mentioned it, you just gave me an idea." I said mischievously at her. Brittany sighed in defeat and shook her head.

"Right! So mature, Santana." We both laughed and Brittany kissed me on the forehead. "We should probably go. Mami called me a while ago. She asked if we'd be home for dinner and I told her yes."

"Okay. We are so back to normal huh?"

"No, we're not back to normal. A lot has changed, you know that. We are officially married." Brittany smiled; that special smile that she reserved only for me.

"I get it, babe. I can't wait to have our own house. I can't wait to buy my first house with my beautiful wife." I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it gently.

"Yeah, me either. We still haven't talked about what house we wanted and where would you like to buy it though."

"Let's talk about tonight, okay? But now we need to go home. I still have some reports to finish."

"Already?" Brittany pouted.

"Yes, B. I've been gone for a while so I really need to finish some reports and make some calls. I hope you don't mind?"

"That's fine. Just, just don't stay up too late later, okay? You know I can't sleep without you."

"Promise." I stood up and squeezed her hand. "Shall we?" She nodded and soon left her cafe after giving some instructions to the one she put in charge.

...

Just as expected, Brittany waited up for me. She was typing some things on her laptop when I entered our room. I slowly climbed on the bed and dropped kisses on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It was supposed to be a quick call..." I trailed off. I felt guilty for leaving Brittany alone to finish some reports.

"It's fine. How did it go?" She asked genuinely.

"It's fine I guess." I shrugged and Brittany looked even more worried. "It's all going well..."

"But?" She asked and I sighed.

"I guess we're just back to the drawing board. Apparently, I cannot really rely on my team to do all the work. I scheduled an emergency meeting first thing tomorrow morning. I'll have to make a regrouping. I just can't afford any more mistakes."

"What happened to the marketing plans you made? I thought you said that the board approved it already."

"Yes, that's the one I personally delivered to the board that's why it got approved right away. That's for the hotel marketing plans."

"Oh, so what are we talking about now?" Brittany asked, clearly confused for a second.

"Didn't I tell you that there's another project we're working on right after the hotels and restaurants marketing strategies?"

"Wait! You didn't tell me that."

"I didn't?" _Oops!_ "I thought I told you that before the wedding."

"Clearly, you didn't." Brittany sighed and shook her head. Disappointment was evident in her voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, babe. It must have slipped off my mind."

"Obviously."

I mentally hit my head at my stupidity.

"I'm really sorry, Britt." I took her hands in mine when she was clearly avoiding to look at me.

"Yeah..." she nodded. "I understand. It's just that I think you bite off more than you can chew. You're accepting more projects one after the other. May I remind you that you are the Vice President, San. You have people working for you. You don't have to take all the responsibilities. You aren't paying them to just sit their asses off all day while you do all the talking and execution."

"You're right." I nodded while contemplating on her words. "But, I just can't leave all the work to them... see what happens when I went away. The proposal they made sucked so now we have to start all over again. Those imbeciles are seriously wasting my precious time."

"If they aren't really up for the task, I say you find another ones who can. A regrouping would surely do. Just have them a little taste of Snixx and trust me, that'll do as well."

I laughed at what she said. That clearly loosened me up. "You just know the right words to say every time huh?"

"Hmm, maybe." She shrugged and kissed my cheek.

"You sure you still don't want to work with me, B? We could totally use some of your genius ideas."

Brittany shook her head and laughed. "Thanks, but I'm good. I've had enough of that."

"Right." I shifted closer to her. "I'm sorry again if I forgot to tell you that."

"It's okay. But, I hope it won't happen again, okay? We're a team remember? We supposed to tell each other everything."

"I know." I nodded, I was even more disappointed in myself for forgetting. "It just slipped off my mind. Everything went crazy planning for the wedding proposal and all. But, I promise it won't happen again?"

"You can't promise something you're not sure of."

"Okay, okay! I'll try." I sighed in defeat. "So, what are you doing?" I tilted my head to her laptop.

"Here, take a look." Brittany shifted her laptop so I can see what's on the screen. "Bash emailed me some pictures of the houses that were up for sale."

I squinted my eyes to look at them better.

"You should take off your contacts before you go to bed, San. I like it better when you wear your glasses."

"Yeah, because I look like a complete dork with them." I laughed and playfully rolled my eyes.

She was looking seriously at me. "I mean it. You don't look dork, it's really cute when you wear them." She placed her hand on my cheek and pecked my lips twice.

"Fine. I'll be right back." I went out of bed to take off my contact lenses. I could practically hear some whipping sound that Puck made every time. "So... let me see them." I went beside her again after wearing my glasses. Brittany smiled and opened her arms for me. We cuddled while browsing through the pictures.

"There are some traditional, family type houses, others are minimalists and modern types..." She trailed off.

"Hm, what do you think we should have?" I asked her. I honestly don't know anything about picking out houses. I never had time figuring it out before. Seriously, who would have thought that I'd be living out of this house soon?

"I don't know. I want something not so big, just enough to accommodate us and our future kids, you know? I also want one near our work place so we don't have to travel that far."

"I agree." I nodded while my eyes were still fixated on the screen.

"Do you want one like this house, San?"

"I don't think that it would be practical since this is really a big family house."

"Yeah, how about this?" Brittany clicked on the pictures. It shows a sleek house that has modernist accent.

"I like it..." I trailed off. I really like the idea of the modern type house, it has a black and white interior with some classical touch as well.

"But?"

"I don't know. It's just a little too much of me?"

Brittany looked at the additional features of the house.

"So, what's wrong with it?" she asked. "It's certainly so you. Look at the color, the designs - "

"Yeah, it is so me that's why we shouldn't consider that."

Brittany looked at me puzzled. I draped my arm on her body as she pulled me closer.

"I want a house that is a combination of both of us. In that way, we can really feel at home."

"Sanny, that's really sweet. I like that idea even more."

"I'm sure we can find other better houses. Let's just sort and minimize our list so that we could take a look at them personally."

"Yes, okay! That's perfect." Brittany looked at me lovingly, like I knew all the answers to her problems.

I leaned forward and she met me halfway. We shared a long, passionate kiss. She stared at me when we parted slightly.

"Just so you know, San... even if we live in shoe box or the like, I'd still be home with you. You are my home."

"And you are mine too, Britt." I smiled at her as she bit her lip. We shared another kiss before we went back to making a list of houses that caught our interest. It took us until 11 in the evening until we finally called it a night.

Brittany and I went to our usual routine before we finally hit the bed. I learned that by living with her she can't go to bed without combing her hair first, I didn't get why but it's just how the way she was. Another thing to I love about her. We spent minutes looking at each other while we brush our teeth. Brittany put on some lotion while I took my pajama off. Yes, I still can't sleep with that thing on. And yes, that means I always sleep with just my panties and tank top on.

We chuckled while we stared at each other in awe. Brittany pulled the covers for me and she settled behind me. My back was facing her and she pulled me closer to her. Our bodies are literally flushed against each other. Her arms were protectively clutching my body while I searched for her hand and tangled it in mine.

"Good night, San."

"Night, Britt-Britt. I love you."

"I love you, too." She mumbled sleepily and I turned to kiss her on the lips. We finally settled back down and minutes later we were both breathing steadily.

...

"What the hell, Angel?" I slammed my hands on the table.

I was at the meeting room waiting for the rest of the marketing department heads. It was already five minutes after the set time and no one came except for Angel who tried to explain something to me. She was standing in front of me wearing that smart look she always wears. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a tight pony tail and she's dressed with a chic business attire. I immediately zoned out of her words as I felt rage building up on me.

"Santana, as the Director of Marketing, I take full responsibility of the failed proposal. Everyone worked so hard on that and - "

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. Where the hell are they? Why are you even protecting them?"

"I'm not protecting them. I'm protecting you."

"What?"

"You know that ever since you've been here a lot of people have been fired, others decided to transfer to other companies or requested to be assigned to another projects. We can't afford to lose good people under your supervision."

"Oh, so this is all my fault now?"

"I'm not saying that this is your fault or anyone else for that matter. I'm just saying that as the Vice President of this company it's not good when people started talking behind your back. I hate to say this but if it wasn't because of your father, you would end up to a lower position than you have now. People are starting to question your credibility because of your attitude towards them. Yes, you've been a great addition to the marketing team. So far, you've been the best VP we could ask for."

"And your point is?"

Angel sighed and slumped down on the chair in front of me.

"Santana, you've fired a lot of people from our team already. Haven't you noticed that they're doing everything they can?"

"Well, they should have tried harder. I can't believe you are tolerating this huge amount of failures."

"What can I say? I guess I'm just used to that kind of feedback."

"Angel, look..." I sighed exasperatingly. "I'm not trying to blame you or anything. In fact, you are doing a great job. All I'm saying is we can't always tolerate even a fragment of mistake. There's a lot at stake here. We can't protect them every time. It's our asses that are always on the line every time we talk to the clients."

"I know. That's why I'm asking you to give our marketing team another chance. Don't try to fire anyone, yet. Please? Can you do that for me?"

"Why do you even care so much about them, Angel?"

"I've been in their places, Santana. I know the struggle they've been going through. Santana, you just can't keep on doing that, you know?"

"What?" I hissed at her.

"Look, hear me out. You don't need to go all 'Lima Heights' on me. Whatever that is..." I sighed at her and we both chuckled. This time, I started to really listen to Angel. She explained to me that some of the people I've fired before were really valuable assets to our company. She made me realize how shitty I've been ever since I took the responsibility. I thought I was doing the right thing, she reassured me that I was, even though sometimes I got really irrational. It's just that I have to change some things about treating and managing them according to her. "I hope you'll think this through, Santana. It will be good if we see changes in you. I'm really counting on you, VP." Angel gave me a comforting smile.

"Alright, alright. I'll try to be as "warm and welcoming" as possible to their ideas, okay?"

"Okay, just talk to them calmly. The motivation should come from you. They do better when they're motivated." Angel gave me a cheering smile before she stood up.

"Now, should I let them in, Ms. Lopez?"

"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." I corrected her. Angel blushed, she's just like Brittany. Nostalgia hit me again as I was reminded by Brittany. "Yeah, send them in so we can start the meeting."

Angel nodded and headed towards the door.

"And Angel?" she stopped and turned to look at me. "Thank you."

"No problem, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." She gave me a final nod and called the entire staff inside.

The meeting was not as bad as I thought it would be. Angel was right after all. I listened intently to the assistant director as the other staffs gave in and contributed some interesting ideas. They were not so bad too. I guess I should listen to them more.

I caught Angel looking at me with questioning gray eyes. I playfully rolled my eyes at her and smiled. The meeting ended after an hour and a half. I congratulated the entire team for the ideas they shared. Now, all I need to do was to look over them as they execute the plan.

"So?" Angel giddily approached me as I was fixing some papers on the table.

"Okay, they're not so bad after all." I rolled my eyes.

"Not so bad huh?" she smirked.

"Fine! Their ideas are great. Happy now?"

Angel clapped her hands and nodded. "Definitely." I smiled at how bubbly she was.

"But hey, don't get so confident yet 'til I see the final plan and progress."

"Got it, _boss_!" She shot me a serious look then smiled before she left with the assistant director at her side.

...

Brittany was breathing heavily behind me. We were in our usual position. It was already one in the morning and I still can't sleep. I was still thinking about what Angel told me. It was really bugging the hell out of me. I mean, what have I done wrong? Am I really that awful when it comes to our employees? But, I only wanted what's best for our company. I sighed and tried to get some sleep. _Maybe I am just fooling myself. Fuck this! I can't sleep._ I let out another heavy sigh and opened my eyes.

"What is it, Santana?" Brittany sleepily asked.

I turned around to face Brittany. I contemplated whether to tell her or not. Sleepy blue eyes settled their gaze on me.

"It's... it's nothing. It's really stupid. Go back to sleep, Britt."

Brittany cleared her throat as she pulled me closer. She kissed me on the forehead and rubbed small circles on my back.

"You can tell me everything, baby. I'm your wife... and I promise that I'm a good listener."

"I know that. It's just... I don't even know how to say it."

"Is it about your marketing plan again? Is there another problem?" she probed gently.

I shook my head and let out another heavy sigh. There was a slight pause before I asked. "Am I a bad person, Britt? Am I really too difficult to handle and understand? Do you think I'm still immature?"

"What?" She pulled back slightly to look at me. Her eyes were wide. There was a glint of disbelief and confusion in her face. "What are you saying, Sanny? Why are you asking me that?"

I shook my head again. This time I pulled back from her and sat turning my back against her. I felt her move from the bed. I buried my face in my head and tried to get those doubts from my head.

"Hey..." Brittany was suddenly in front of me. She knelt down and took my hands in hers. "Hey." She tapped my nose with her index finger and I looked at her. "What happened? Please talk to me, San. Don't shut me out."

I tried to avert my eyes elsewhere but Brittany cupped my face.

"It's okay. It's just me." She reassured me. How can she be so even more perfect?

I nodded and licked my lips. "Remember last night when I told you that I called for a meeting for our department?" Brittany nodded her head as a sign for me to continue. "Well, this morning, the director of the marketing talked some sense into me. She asked me not to fire anyone from our department yet. She said that a lot of them are really scared, others hate me already and that is giving me a bad reputation."

Brittany was still silent. She looked at me with so much worry and empathy.

"What's wrong with me, Britt? Am I not doing enough?" My voice cracked a little.

"Baby... San, you are not a bad person. I can easily attest to that. You may be tough on the outside but I know deep down how caring, generous, thoughtful, sweet and loving you are. Listen to me, yes, sometimes you are really difficult to handle. But who is not? We always have our bad days, you know?"

"But, Britt, it's not just that. At times I get really irrational and fire people. Who wouldn't hate me for that?"

"San, I've done worse. Trust me. I know how hard it is to be in your place."

"What?" I looked at her in disbelief. Never in my wildest imagination did I think of Brittany as a tough boss.

"You heard me. I've done worse than that. With all the eyes looking over at your every move and waiting for you to make a mistake, all those mouths smiling bitterly and talking behind your back, all those ears actively listening and judging your every word and decision... it's normal to feel pressured and frustrated. Being the CEO for how many years wasn't really as satisfying as it may seem. I've been doubted, criticized and misunderstood a lot of times. Point is, you can't please everybody, Santana. You just have to be the person you always want to be. Don't listen to everyone who tells you what to do and what not to do. I believe in you, Santana. Don't let your insecurities get the better of you."

Brittany smiled. She gave me that cute smile that always made me feel a lot better. I bit my lip trying to process everything Brittany told me. She's right. She's always right. Why did I even let myself overthink about this whole stupid mess.

"Thanks for believing in me, Britt."

"Always, San. Always." She whispered and kissed my hands.

"You're really a genius."

"Nope, I just happen to know some stuffs to make you feel alright." She said humbly. _How did I get so lucky?_

"I know. Thanks, Britt. You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say all those things about me. You're opinions matter the most to me."

"Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has something good to say about you. All the people who know you better will probably say the same thing. So, don't worry too much, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded and beamed back at her. _Gosh, she always knows how to make me feel better._

"So, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"None that I can think of."

"Okay, good." Brittany pecked my lips and chuckled. "How about we try to sleep now? We'll talk some more tomorrow if you still want to."

"Sounds good to me. Get back to bed."

Brittany settled behind me again, this time I faced her. I rested my head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me. The steady breathing of Brittany calmed me down and in a few minuted my mind drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

...

 _"San, where are you?"_ Brittany called me over the phone. We were supposed to visit the next house on our list. We've visited two houses already over the past week. Brittany and I didn't seem to like the houses we've seen so our house hunting escapade continued.

"I'm on my way to pick you up, babe." Okay, that was not exactly the truth because I was still in my office scribbling some notes to the documents, Marley, my secretary handed me a while ago.

Brittany sighed sensing my lie. "I know how much you wanted to go. I promise I'll be there as soon as I can okay? I'm just caught up in the middle of something here. I'm so sorry." I apologized sincerely.

 _"You told me the exact same thing yesterday, San. You know what? Let's just cancel the whole thing."_

"No, no, no! Britt, I swear I'll be there soon, okay? I'm just writing some notes here. I'm almost done."

 _"It's okay, Santana. Let's just do it tomorrow if you're not busy."_

Disappointment was evident in her voice. Brittany's been always patient to me and I couldn't afford to disappoint her. I was about to answer when there's a soft knock on my door. I was about to snap at whoever that was when blonde hair poked into the door.

"Is this a bad time?" She asked in a low voice. I held up one finger to signal for her to wait.

"Britt, baby, I'll be there. I always have time for you. But, right now I have to go. I'll pick you up in a few, okay? I love you."

 _"Are you sure?"_

"Yes, of course. Do you want anything? I could drop by at your favorite restaurant to pick up something you like?"

 _"No, just come in here and I'll be fine. Mami prepared some roasted chicken and salad you requested yesterday. I have them here with me."_

"Now I'm starving." I heard her chuckle on the other line. "Britt, I have to go."

 _"Okay, okay. I love you too! Tell Marley I said 'hi'."_

"Sure, bye." I ended the call and cleared my throat. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Angel apologized and walked in front of my desk.

"It's fine, you didn't interrupt anything. So?"

"Oh, right! I need to get the files I gave Marley the other day. Have you signed them?"

"Yeah. I signed them already. I was about to give it back to you yesterday but I forgot." I handed the folder back to her.

"It's fine. I understand." She smiled and checked over the papers. "Well, everything's good now. Thanks."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, I've got this. Thanks again."

She was about to leave when she turned around before she opened the door.

"I almost forgot. The whole team is celebrating tonight. I wish you could come." She said excitedly but her smile immediately dropped when I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Wife duties." I shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I heard. But, just in case you change your mind we'll be at Bossa Nova."

"Okay, thanks for the invite."

"Well, you are a big part of this success, Ms. Lo- I mean, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." She nodded her head and smiled. "You can bring your wife if you want. Everybody deserves a break."

I laughed at her. "Yeah, and you are one of them. Have fun tonight. You've worked so hard on this project. Congrats, Angel!"

"Same to you, boss! Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"Definitely."

I sighed and turned back on the papers on my desk. I folded the folders and fixed everything in my desk before I took my coat and sprinted towards the elevator. My secretary followed suit as I waited for the lift.

"Miss Santana, you have a meeting at one thirty followed by a dinner meeting with your father in Grand Hyatt."

"Cancel them."

"But – "

"Cancel them. I'll call my father. Don't worry." I told her as the elevator doors closed. My wife deserves all the time in the world after all. I promised to always put her first and this time I will not disappoint her.

The drive to Brittany's café was fast. I immediately saw her behind the cashier giving an old man his change. I got in the line holding a box of tulip in my hand.

"Hi!" I greeted her as I stepped forward in line. "Can I take my hot wife to go, please?" I pushed the box of tulip in the counter towards her.

Brittany bit her lip to stop her laughter. She's just so adorable. "Coming right up." She replied with a wink.

We went straight to her office to have our lunch together.

"Thank you for this, it's so pretty." She placed the box gently on her table. I sat down while she laid our lunch on the table.

"You didn't have to do this, San. I told you it's okay. We can do the house hunting over the weekends."

"But I want to do this with you… now. I don't want to wait for another weekend."

"Okay, but I hope this will not affect your work."

"I promise."

"So, Bash and I were talking about the house we are about to check today. He seems to be just around the area so he offered to check it together with Kurt and their friend who is a home inspector."

"So they're really getting serious? Are they exclusive or what?" I took another bite of Brittany's sandwich. I was practically finishing her food so she's playfully giving me death glares.

"Stop eating everything. And no, they're not dating if that's where you're getting at. They are just being them."

"Yeah, you say that a lot. But action speaks louder than words, Britt-Britt."

"So anyways, they've checked the house and it's all good." She said getting us back on track of our topic. "They told me that it's a perfect house to start a family because it's kids friendly plus the location is also very convenient for both of us."

"Well, that's cool. Let's just see for ourselves and if it really gives us the feels then we'll take it."

"Okay." She nodded excitedly. "I'm really excited about it, San! I hope this one is the one. I've seen the pictures and all but I don't want to be disappointed."

"Don't worry, Britt. That's why we are here to check it out." I took the final bite of her sandwich swiftly.

"Hey! That's the last bite!" _Oops!_ She pouted and I immediately leaned in to kiss the pout away.

…

 _ **Thanks for reading.** **See y'all again next chap!**_ ** _Xxx_**


	4. Not A New Chap Sorry!

I wonder if you guys are still waiting for any updates about this.

OH WELL.

 **Life's been messy.** You couldn't imagine. :(

I'd be giving an update...or if not, a new story. I need an escape.


	5. Chapter 5: We Found It

Who would've thought that married life can be this great and stressful at the same time? Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not complaining because a) I get to live with my beautiful wife; b) I get to wake up next to her every morning and sleep with her arms drape like a blanket around me every night and c) I get to call her mine every single day. But you know how life can get sometimes. It's been like three months already since we've tied the knot but it feels like years already. Again, I am not complaining but how do married couples manage to balance their marriage, career and life?

"I gotta say Lopez, you are doing a great job right now so don't fuck it up, 'kay?" Puck nudged me when I went to visit him at the club.

"Lopez-Pierce." I corrected him before I continued. "I don't know man. It's all great but –"

"But you can do it. You have a beautiful, beautiful wife and awesome career ahead of you. It's tough, I know but you'll get through it." Puck cut me off.

"Easier said than done."

"Tell me in what aspect are you having a hard time?" He leaned closer in his seat with a serious look on his face.

"I don't know. I'm just afraid that one of these days I'll let her down."

"Well, you don't have to. As far as I can see you are really doing so good. Santana, you know that I'm not good with words so let's just put it this way... remember the time when I got Quinn pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"I was so, so scared that time for Quinn and the baby and what did you tell me?"

I shook my head trying to understand his point.

"You told me, "I believe in you, Noah. You are bigger than your fears." and I was. Eventually, it turned out good for Quinn and I except the part where we had to lose our daughter. Nevertheless, we became stronger together. Communicating with Quinn saved me from my own monsters." He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. I know how hard it is for Puck to talk about his daughter. It was still a fresh wound for both of them, it will always be. "Don't let your fears and busy schedules affect your relationship with everything and everybody especially your wife. You worked so hard to reach this point, no turning back now." Puck placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed it gently.

I sighed. "I hate it when you're right." I rolled my eyes off him and laughed.

"I'm always right." He smirked at me.

"Thank you, Puck. Seriously, I was here to have a happy time with you but -"

"Hey, I don't know about you but I'm having a good time." He winked at me and stood up to talk to some young girls who just entered the bar. I just shook my head and chuckled at him.

Looking back with everything that has happened, damn, I'm one lucky woman. Ever since I've met Britt my life changed drastically. It was truly an amazing journey with her albeit there are lots of challenges and misunderstandings along the way. There's no perfect relationship, I've learned that the hard way. We had misunderstandings over the past months just like before. We fought even about small and unimportant stuffs. But that's just the way it is. I would live with it with no regrets at all. There are happy and sad times and I'm really fortunate that I have Britt to face those times with.

I was back to the time being when Puck introduced me to some of his new friends. He's planning to branch out his business so we barely see each other. He's always out of the country for business trips. Aside from that, Quinn and Puck are planning to move in together. Well, it's about damn time.

I suddenly felt my phone buzzed in my pocket. I saw the caller ID and instantly smiled.

"Hey babe."

 _"Hey San. I'm sorry I called I just – "_

"Britt, don't apologize. What's wrong?"

 _"Nothing. I just want to know what time are you coming home?"_

I looked at my watch and it's a little after midnight. I haven't noticed the time, I was really enjoying my time with Puck and the boys.

"I was actually on my way out." I stood up and went straight to Puck who was talking to some older men.

 _"No, no. You can stay a bit more. Anyways, I'm still chatting with Bash for the home tour tomorrow."_

I totally forgot the appointment we had with the realtor again.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm a little tired too so I think I'm going to head home now."

 _"Are you sure? I'm really sorry I called."_

I sensed the pout in my wife's face for feeling guilty. I smiled at the thought.

"Britt, hey, it's okay. I'm glad that you called. I missed you."

 _"I miss you too. I can't sleep without you."_

"I know. Me too. I'm going to say bye to Puck now. See you in a bit?"

 _"Okay, drive safe. I love you."_

"I love you." I ended the call and went to Puck.

"Excuse me, Puck?" I nudged Puck to get his attention.

"Oh, hey! Are you heading home?"

"How did you know?"

Puck simply tapped at his watch.

"Go home. She's waiting for you. I'll see you before I leave next week, okay? Quinn will be home by Monday. Make yourself available. Take care, Santana." Puck hugged me while saying goodbye.

"Will do. Thanks."

"Oh, and tell Britt I miss her. She should've come."

"Yeah, she felt bad but she's really exhausted."

"That sucks. Don't work so hard you two!"

"Tell that to yourself." I chuckled. "Anyways, I'm going now. See you!"

Puck was about to walk me out (yes, he's still Puck but a little bit more courteous and gentle now) but I refused.

…

"Babe?" I slowly opened the door to our room after I had a short conversation with Mami downstairs.

"Hey…" Brittany greeted me. She was lying on our bed with iPad on her hands. She had that classic bun and my favorite shirt on.

"Sorry I was a bit late."

"It's okay, San. Did you have a good time?" She went towards me and kissed me. She then helped me undress.

"Yes I did. I met some of Puck's new friends. They're pretty awesome too. I'm just so happy for Puck. Do you know he's trying to branch out the club?"

"Really? Wow, that's amazing."

"I've never seen this coming. Who would've thought that Puck can be this in control? I didn't really know that Puck has so much interest in business and stuff."

"She's just like you, Sanny. I think it's great for him now that he's planning to start a life with Quinn too. I think he's going to propose to her soon."

"Well it's about time." I stepped out of my pants and wrapped my arms around Brittany. I immediately felt the warmth of her body and smelt the scent of fresh laundry. I would never get tired of coming home to this.

"Bath?" she asked gently.

I nodded my head.

"I'll just prep it for you. Wait here."

I sat on the bed and closed my eyes as I felt the exhaustion of the past week. Thank God for weekends!

"Hey…" Brittany bumped my nose with hers. "The tub's ready." I slowly opened my eyes and was met with the most beautiful eyes I always long to see.

I nodded. "Will you come in with me?"

"Sure. Let's go." She kissed my forehead and pulled me towards the bath.

We finally removed every garment and stepped in to warm aromatic water. Brittany just know what I need the most.

Brittany went first and instructed me to sit closer to her. I leaned my body back towards her as she started to massage my body.

"Gosh, I missed this."

"I know, baby." She kissed my head down to my neck.

I released an uncontrollable moan.

"Britt…" I whispered as she continue to attack my neck. She slowly rubbed my chest down to my breasts.

Her other hand roamed around. I was starting to grind in front of her.

"Santana…"

I found Brittany's hand under the water and guided her to my inner thighs. I let her explore it by herself as I gripped the back of her neck to pull her even closer.

She started to rub my clit and we found the perfect rhythm. We didn't mind the water spilling out of the tub as we continued grinding into each other.

"Ugh…" she moaned softly beneath me.

"Britt – "

"Tell me what you want."

"I – I need you, Britt."

"What do you want me to do?" She whispered.

"I need you inside –"

"Where?"

"I need you inside me."

She licked the back of my ear and plunged two fingers inside me.

"Oh yes."

She went in and out slowly at first.

"F-faster, Britt." I stutter my words out.

Using her other hand she switched my body so I was facing her. I placed my hands on her shoulder. Brittany went deeper and faster. I arched my back and tightened my grip on her shoulders.

"Oh, fuck. That feels so good."

Brittany then took my nipple in her mouth and sucked gently. She took turns sucking, nipping and licking it. My brain cannot focus on which pleasure it should take. What Brittany is doing is so amazing. I can feel myself building up. I tip Brittany's head and kissed her moist lips. Our tongues battled for dominance. I then took her breasts and started to rub on her nipples.

"Ugh, Santana…"

"Britt, oh, fuck… Britt."

Our moans overpowered the silence of the dawn.

"Britt… Britt…" I panted.

Brittany slowed down her pace. She licked my lips and kissed me again gently. We took time relishing on each other.

After a while, I stood up and went out of the tub. I helped Brittany out and dried ourselves.

I guided Brittany towards the bed. She laid down and I went on top of her. I slowly lowered my body towards her. Brittany cupped my face and she closed her eyes as we kissed softly, gently. It wasn't rushed unlike the one we shared in the bathroom. We took our time enjoying each other's caress. When the need for air become crucial we parted and Brittany started trailing kisses down to my jaw to my neck.

"I love you." I told her.

She stopped and looked at me.

"I love you, Santana." She told me back.

We smiled at each other. Our words held so much promises, apologies and love. We closed our eyes and let our bodies merge again and become one.

I started trailing down kisses towards Brittany's neck down to her chest. I reached her breasts and took her perky nipples into my lips while my other hand played with the other.

"San…" She arched her body causing our centers to touch. I felt my torso ache.

I continued showering kisses down her toned stomach. I reached down her thighs and bent her knees. I lowered myself down and kissed her inner thighs. I licked my way up to her center.

"Oh!" She panted when my tongue hit her on the right spot. I can see her dripping wet. I slowly licked her center to her clit. "Ugh…" Brittany's body arched again, I used this opportunity to suck on her clit. "S-San!"

I continued sucking her clit and pushed two fingers inside her. Gosh, she's so ready for me. I went in and out slowly. She held my head in place as she start to rock her body towards me. I licked her in circular motions as we fastened our pace. I looked at her and she already turned pink, her breathing labored.

Her walls started to tighten around my fingers.

"Yeah, it feels so fucking good."

I made my way up so I can have a better look at my wife. She opened her eyes and drag my face closer to her. She kissed me while we kept our pace. She closed her eyes again and bit her lip.

"S-San, faster… don't stop. I-I'm close." She whispered over and over.

I added the third finger and within a few minutes she shouted my name as she reached her climax. We both panted, sweat dripping out our bodies. I kissed her shoulder.

"That was amazing." She whispered.

"Was?" I whispered back and kissed her lips. "But baby, we are just getting started."

I licked her lips and was granted access. We explored each other again. I reached down and parted her thighs. I broke our kiss and positioned myself between her. I slowly lowered myself until our centers touch. Extreme jolt of pleasure immediately went through my body. We repeated the motion until we found our rhythm.

"Oh my gosh, San…"

"Ugh, Britt…"

"Oh, shit." Brittany cursed and bit her lips.

The sound of our centers touching echoed the room. We bounced up and down, clits smashed together fast and hard.

"San, I think… I'm going to… Ugh… San, I'm gonna cum… Oh…"

"Britt, baby… I'm…"

We weren't able to finish our sentences when orgasm hits us hard. It's like everything stilled around us when the extreme pleasure wrapped our whole bodies.

...

I felt something brushed my nose that slowly woke me up. I opened my eyes and squinted as the rays of sun peeked through the curtains.

"Too bright..." I mumbled.

I heard her chuckle as her hair brushed against my face.

"You're so cute when you're sleepy."

Brittany kissed the tip of my nose and I smiled at her. She then pecked my lips once, twice and on the third time I crossed my arms at the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.

"Good morning, love." I greeted her when our lips slightly parted.

"I love you." She whispered and pulled back a little further. "I prepared something for you."

"What is it?"

She tipped her head to the left and I lifted my gaze from her eyes to the coffee table.

"Breakfast anyone?" She smiled sheepishly.

"You made all those?"

"Yep, with a little help of mami of course."

"Just a little?" I teased. She playfully smacked my arms.

"Hey, I'm a better cook now. You can ask mami! I prepared those for you." She pouted and I laughed lightly at how cute she was.

"I know. I'm just teasing you, Britt-Britt. Well, let's have a taste of what my beautiful, beautiful wife cooked for me, shall we?"

"Okay." She stood up and pulled me to the balcony.

"So what do we have here?"

Brittany and I shared a wonderful breakfast followed by a steamy shower. We talked about a lot of things. We planned to spend the day with house hunting again. Brittany invited mami to come because according to her mami and I barely have some time together. Then tonight, we're going to the Pierce's house for dinner.

Yeah, yeah, I know! A lot of family stuffs going on here but hey! Santana Lopez is still here... just a little domestic at times.

We picked up Sebastian at Kurt's shop a little after ten and proceed to the first house on the list.

"I talked to my friend yesterday who just moved in to their new house last week. It's in the same neighborhood as the one we are going to right now..." Bash started his rant about how gorgeous the house is. He has already been there and he strongly recommend it. I just don't want to keep my hopes up again, last time I did that Britt and I had some arguments. I just find it so hard to pick the right house.

"Is this it?" I asked when I slowed my driving towards the driveway.

"Don't judge the outside, Santana." He immediately said when we arrived. Mami started laughing followed by Brittany. I looked at them incredulously.

The outside looked better than the pictures we've seen. It was a family mansion. We followed Bash inside together with the realtor. We were in awe to say the least when we looked at the inside. The interior was so cozy. We toured the rest of the house. There were two bedrooms downstairs and another two bedrooms with baths upstairs. The master's bedroom has it's own balcony just like what I had at my parent's house. There's also a patio and pool at the back, a spacey basement, a small library room, family dining and kitchen. The house was like a perfect match to what Britt and I planned.

I saw Brittany's eyes glint with joy as our eyes met. We found it. We found our new home.


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome Home

"Honey, I'm home." Brittany laughed from the hallway to the kitchen where she found me cooking our dinner. She immediately wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"You love saying that, don't you?" I laughed with her.

"Duh?!" she turned me around and pecked my lips. "That'll never get old."

I laughed at her perkiness. This is one of the things I loved coming home. Seeing my wife and hearing how joyful she was always made my heart flutter.

"So, what do we have here?"

"Roasted chicken and potatoes for tonight. Help me prepare the table babe."

"Got it!" she pecked my lips again and went to set the table. She put some soothing music too and went to get some wine glasses.

We just looked at each other silently and smiled. We both love how domestic we get every day.

It's been a month since we moved in here…

 _Champagne bottles popped as we celebrate and blessed our new home. Britt and I gathered our family and friends to a small housewarming party. We opted to have a simple celebration with the people we loved the most._

 _Britt and I prepared everything. My wife really wanted to be hands on with everything. We even had an argument when I told her that I already called an organizer. But later on I realized why she wanted us to organize it ourselves. Brittany and I got the opportunity to talk and bond again. Starting from the invitations to our house greeter to food and drinks and giveaways, they are all personalized and handcrafted. I can't remember the last time I did something like this. She truly is amazing._

 _"Whoa! This house is totally breathtaking." It was the first time Quinn saw the house. She just went back from LA with Puck. They spent the Halloween there._

 _"Thank you. This way is to the basement and laundry and this is to our kitchen." Brittany pointed out to the way. Brittany toured the house with Quinn while I finish preparing the side dishes._

 _"You're a bit early for tonight." I told Puck who poured some wine to our glasses._

 _"Yeah, we just thought you need a hand."_

 _"We're almost done. Besides, you're a 'visitor'. Ugh!" I rolled my eyes as Puck enjoyed eyeing me with the apron._

 _"Look, what has Brittany done to you?" Puck laughed thunderously. I threw some broccoli on him which luckily did not damage his shirt._

 _"Stop it, will you?"_

 _"A'right. A'right. I'm sorry, man. But, whoosh! I'm just so glad seeing you guys like this. Congratulations, San. I'm so proud of you." Puck went beside me and squeezed my shoulders. He put his arms around me sideways and kissed the top of my head._

 _"I can't wait to see you and Quinn do the same. So, when are you planning to settle down?"_

 _"I'm just finding the right time. Quinn's so busy right now. It's like she's still working her way up when she doesn't even need to."_

 _"You know her. When she's into something, she really want to give it her best shot. Try dropping off some hints."_

 _"Yeah, I know. I'm really trying to. I sometimes talk to her about what I want in the future you know? I expect she wanted the same but she just wouldn't tell me."_

 _"Take her by surprise. The simple, the better. There's no perfect time. It's a bullshit. You just gotta make the time perfect for you."_

 _"Yeah, I guess… I guess you're right."_

 _"About what?" Quinn entered the kitchen followed by Brittany and our parents._

 _"Mami! Papi!" I immediately went to welcome them._

 _"Smells nice in here, mija." Papi said and pulled me into a hug._

 _"Thank you, papi."_

 _"Let me help you, Sanny-bug."_

 _"Abuela! Oh my gosh, I thought you couldn't come."_

 _"Well, there's a lot of convincing with Ricky here." She pointed out to papi._

 _"The doctor said you need some rest, ma." Papi cascaded her but abuela only rolled her eyes at him. (So, you know whom I got it from.)_

 _I kissed abuela and hugged her tight._

 _"I missed you." I whispered._

 _"I missed you and Brittany too." Abuela pulled Brittany and squeezed her hand._

 _"MAMI! What are you doing?" I shouted when I saw my mom taking over the dinner. "No, no, no…" I snatched the ladle from my mom. "Okay, visitors out! Chop-chop!" I literally pushed everyone out of the kitchen to the living room. "My wife's gonna kill me, mami. She wanted me to be 'hands on' even with the food." I whispered to my mom._

 _"Oh my!" My mom laughed quietly. "What is Noah's term for it again?"_

 _"Hm, I think it's whipped." I shamelessly admitted to my mom and laughed with her. After a while, Brittany's parents arrived. Everyone bonded and we played a little game and some pranks. I went back to the kitchen when everyone was settled in the living room. Bash played the piano while everyone chatted._

 _"You okay in here?" Brittany checked on me after a few minutes._

 _"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm almost done."_

 _"What else can I do?" My wife kindly asked._

 _"Hm, can you get the basket I left in the food storage?" I tipped my head to the storage room._

 _"Basket? What else have we forgotten?" Brittany made her way to the storage room and opened the lights. After a few seconds she slowly walked out with the fresh bouquet of lilies and a painting of us during our wedding dance._

 _I made my way towards her. "You are so beautiful tonight, my love." I whispered and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. Brittany had tears in her eyes. She couldn't say anything so she pulled me into a kiss instead._

 _"I love you so much, Santana."_

 _"I know. I love you too." I kissed her the second time and wiped some stubborn tears out of her face. "Come on now. Don't cry, B." I kissed the tip of her nose._

 _"They're probably wondering what's taking us so long. I better head out. Is dinner ready?"_

 _"Yes, babe. I'll be out there in a few. Go."_

 _Brittany went to the living room where I heard a couple of 'aws' when Brittany showed them the painting. I went to join them afterwards._

 _Dinner was great. We had been updated with Kurt and Bash's relationship. Seems like they're really taking things seriously now. Puck and Quinn was asked about settling down. Everyone has a fair share of stories._

 _"This is so good, San." Quinn said while munching on the dessert._

 _"I learned from the best." I winked at abuela and squeezed my mom's hand on the table._

 _"So, San and Brit, when do we expect to have grandchildren?" Brittany's dad caught us off guard by his question._

 _I almost spilled my drink._

 _"Daddy!" Brittany hushed his father._

 _Everybody laughed except Brittany who turned red with embarrassment._

 _"Well… we're working on it, dad." I smiled at him and Brittany nudged me._

 _"Not funny, San."_

 _"What? It's not a joke. Of course it's not funny." I smirked at her._

 _"Whatever." She rolled her eyes at me._

 _"Okay, okay. You two are just so adorable." Papi said while raising his glass. "I wish you both nothing but the best. Congratulations."_

 _"Cheers." Brittany's mom raised her glass and all of us toasted._

 _The conversation was diverted to some random stuff we have all seen on the news. We moved to the family room after dinner and have some more wine._

 _The gentlemen talked about business and politics while we talked about where to spend the holidays since Christmas is just a few weeks away._

 _"Well, we should all spend it together as family. We could go out of the country." Britanny's mom suggested._

 _"That's a great idea!" My mom agreed. "We could all go to Paris or Bali or in Japan."_

 _"Yes, that sounds great moms, but, Britt and I actually talked about this already."_

 _"Oh, you did?" Mami asked._

 _"Yes, actually… we want to spend it here. Since this is our first year as a married couple and this is our first home so we were hoping to celebrate it here." Brittany said._

 _"We were also hoping that you'll celebrate with us but it's okay if you want to go out of the country. It'll be a blast, I know it. Britt and I are just gonna stay here." I added._

 _"Is that so?" Mom sounded a bit disappointed._

 _"But, we could join you for New Year."_

 _"Oh yeah, we can join you in New Year's Eve." I agreed to Brittany._

 _"Hm, that's not a bad idea. What do you think Susan?" Mami asked mom who were nodding in agreement._

 _"Yes, I think that would work for us. You can spend Christmas here but we have to celebrate together. Now, we just have to think where."_

 _Mami and mom had their little conversation. Abuela was in deep talk with Puck and Quinn. Kurt and Puck were busy playing us some good music._

 _I cleared my throat and leaned to Brittany. "Will you dance with me?" I whispered._

 _Brittany chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."_

 _I took Brittany's hand and lead her to the middle of the room. Bash must've noticed because he and Kurt played another music on the piano._

 _"This song is basically us…" I told her._

 _"Yeah, it is."_

 _They played 'I Finally Found Someone' as I slowly brought Brittany closer. We swayed through the music. We rested our foreheads together and closed our eyes. The song came to its end and Brittany surprised me with a dip and a soft kiss._

 _Everyone clapped as if we performed something from them. I took the opportunity to thank everyone._

 _"From me and Britt, thank you very much for coming tonight." I said and I let Brittany to continue._

 _"We are so grateful for all the blessings we have received. I could say that this one has been one of the greatest. This is where we'll start our little Lopez-Pierce family with you guys as witness. To my lovely wife, San, thank you for all the effort and love. Welcome home."_

 _"Welcome home to us, Brittany."_

 _Brittany pulled me into a warm embrace. This is our first step. One of the million steps left in our journey._

 _…_

"Hey, are you okay?" Brittany brought me back to reality.

"Yes, I'm fine." I smiled. I followed Brittany to the dining room.

"So… Christmas is just two weeks away. I'm so excited, San! This is our first Christmas together. Oh, and Quinn called. She said she'll try to be here on Christmas day. Puck will be here for sure but as for Quinn… not so sure."

"Well, she has to. We have to make her come."

"I know, I know. It'll be more fun if they'd be here but you know Quinn."

"Britt, you need to help me convince Q to come home."

"Sanny, I already told you –"

"Puck will ask her."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, Puck will finally do it."

"Oh my gosh! Really?"

"Yes!"

"Oh my gosh! That's so awesome."

"We have to make it subtle. She should not get any hint. We have to keep this a top secret. I know you are good with that."

" _We_ are. I just kinda stole your idea."

"Well, it was perfect nevertheless."

"It was. I never got the chance to say thank you."

"You already said it a lot of times, B."

"No, really." Brittany reached for my hand and held it firmly. "Thank you, San. Thank you for saying yes. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for buying this house with me. Thank you for all the good that has happened to me because of you."

"You are very welcome. To be honest, you are the reason for all the good that has happened to us. You didn't give up on me."

"We didn't give up on each other. We still got a long way to go."

"We'll make it through til the end. I just know it."

"I know. I have faith in us." Brittany squeezed my hand again and kissed it before leaning in to kiss me.

…

THANK YOU FOR STAYING TUNED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT THROUGH THESE YEARS.

 **We still got a long way to go folks!**


	7. Chapter 7: Typical Days

HEY YOU GUYS! I just wanted to THANK ALL OF YOU for all the comments and reviews on the last Chap! Here's another one for you... Enjoy!

* * *

"SANTANA!" My wife shouted upstairs. She just went home from work while I was about to go out and get some Chinese food for supper. "Will you come in here for a sec?" She sounded a bit exhausted.

"What's the matter?" I shouted back. I fixed my jacket on and took a quick look in the mirror. "What is it?" I shouted again when she did not respond.

"Come in here this instance!" She shouted back. _Uh-oh. This doesn't sound nice._

I literally ran upstairs. When I reached our room, I saw Brittany standing in the doorway holding some clothes.

"This morning, I remembered that I left it as a room. But now, look at this... it's like a jungle in here, Santana."

I looked inside and saw pile of clothes everywhere. There's also some crumpled paper on the floor and a bottle of water.

"Umm..." is all I muttered.

"You clean up this mess now! Don't bother going out. I'll just order some pizzas. Gosh, I'm really tired right now, Santana. I can't handle this!" Brittany shoved the clothes she was holding to my chest.

"Wait! Hold up!" I grabbed her arms forcefully to make her stop. "You're not the only one who's tired here! Besides, these are not just my clothes. Why should I be the only one fixing this?"

"I did not remember leaving my clothes _all over_ the place." She emphasized.

"Oh, yeah? Like last night you took a shower and left your clothes there? You didn't remember AT ALL?!" I sarcastically asked.

"Gosh! That was just last night! You know that I'm so exhausted! Don't get me started with this."

We both sighed exasperatingly.

"Fine. I'll fix this. But, tomorrow we'll have a housekeeper." I said and went back to the room.

"Nope. You will not do that." She followed me inside the room. "We already talked about this."

"Then how the hell do you expect me to do this every fucking day? Ugh!" I took a deep breath and sat on the bed dropping everything by my feet.

Brittany silently made her way towards me. She went down on her knees. She sighed then reached for my hands.

"I'm sorry." We said at the same time.

I shook my head. "No, really. I'm sorry."

"Me too. I really shouldn't have shouted at you."

"You have every right to do that."

"I'm just so tired, San. I really expected to go home and relax but when I entered here... seeing all these mess... I just lost it."

"I understand. I'm really sorry. I was just in a hurry so I haven't got time to fix these. I really didn't mean to leave all these dirty stuffs in here. I know that this is not only my room. This is ours."

"I'm really sorry." She buried her face in my lap. We both went silent after that.

"What happened today?" I asked.

"Nothing..."

"Talk to me. I can feel it. It's not just about me, isn't it?"

She shook her head and looked at me. She sighed again. "I just found out that one of my staffs took all the money in the cash register the other night."

"What the hell? Where is he?"

" _She_ stopped coming to work since yesterday. We tried calling her because we are all so worried. We thought something might've happened. Tina went by to her apartment this morning to check on her but it's locked up."

"Wait. We should call the cops." I stood up to find my phone.

"Hey, no. Stop, San. We do not care about the money."

"But - "

"It's just a little amount. We are just worried for her. She's a working student."

"Britt..."

"Santana, I know... I should not tolerate this. But, I want to hear her side first before I take some action. I can't be impulsive about this."

"Lucky her I'm not her boss."

I walked towards Brittany and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm really sorry, B." I kissed the top of her head. "Where's Tina the other night?"

"She went home a little after me entrusting everything to Dani. She's the one who usually closes the shop so we're not really suspicious on her. But it's fine now. Tina and I had a word with all the staffs. Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Well, that's very unfortunate. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'll make sure of it." I hugged her tighter and kissed the side of her head. "Why don't you go down for a minute and get some snacks and drink for yourself? I'll fix everything in here and I'll prepare our dinner."

"No, no. We should do this together. Like what you said, this is our room. And you don't have to cook, San. I'll just order some food."

"Yeah. Alright. I guess that sounds better. Thanks, B. You really are the best."

"I can't believe we fought just because of this." Brittany said while we start to pick up some stuffs on the floor and on the bed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm a mess."

"Well... don't be. You're my wife and I accept and love everything about you."

"Britt... you know what I mean."

We chuckled.

"Okay, okay. But seriously San, if this happens again, you're out!"

"Fair enough. Noted, love. Noted." I winked at her and laughed.

...

"Updates?" I told Angel when I arrived at the office so early.

"Well, I handed everything to Marley last night. The reports are all there. Marketing team has another proposal for the hotel commercials. We are also meeting up with some airline investors that we're planning to partner with soon."

"Hm, so the board agreed to our plan?" I asked while reading the papers which Marley handed out.

"They said that they're weighing things down since a lot of investments are coming up by next year. Telco companies are our newest addition as early as February."

"Interesting. Good job. Here, papers are already signed. I'll let Marley organize a meeting later on. Thanks, Anj." I nodded at Angel and handed her the folder. "Marley, what happened to the girl I told you about?"

"We already found her. She's staying at Chestnut Hill."

"Where?" I gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, at Philadelphia. She's staying with her grandmother who apparently is ill."

"What happened?"

"We don't have any specific details yet but we're on it."

"I need that by today. Thank you. We also need to get in contact with her. Send her a note or something."

"No worries. I've got this. Moving on, you have a four o'clock meeting with Mr. Tan and dinner meeting with your dad… at seven. TIME called again for the nth time."

"Schedule it by next year."

"Okay. Got it." Marley summed up everything and left.

"Oooh. Time's again huh? They never really get tired of you." Angel shook her head.

"Yeah, at least this time Time's got something good to say about me." I shrugged.

"You made a really tremendous progress. Time's should get the truth this time."

"Thanks. I hope so. Well, you know how media can get. To be honest, Angel, I don't really care about what they would say about me anymore. I have a lot to be grateful for."

"That's good." She smiled genuinely. "Here, you forgot to sign this page."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Angel handed me the papers which accidentally slipped out of my hands.

"Oops!"

"I've got this."

We both went down to pick up the papers hitting our heads in the process.

"Aw!"

"Ouch!"

"Oh gosh." Angel hissed and touched her forehead. I did the same with mine.

"I'm sorry." I immediately said.

"No, it's fine. Are you alright?" Her eyes searching mine as if I'm in terrible pain.

"Hey ba-" Brittany stopped in her tracks when she saw us. "Oh."

"Britt..." I said and immediately retrieved the papers from the floor.

"San... um, I just... you left this... wait, what's going on in here?" She curiously looked at me and Angel.

Angel fixed her hair and stood up.

"We're just about to get the papers which accidentally slipped into Santana's hand. We accidentally bumped into each other."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that, Angel."

"Are you guys okay?" Brittany asked genuinely.

"Yes, I'm fine. How about you, Santana? Does it hurt?"

"A little but I'm good."

Brittany walked closer to look at my forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She cupped my left cheek.

"Of course, love. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry. Santana's a little clumsy at times."

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce. Well, I just need you to sign the second to the last page, Santana."

"Oh, right." I hastily signed the papers and hand it back to Angel.

"Is there anything else?"

"Um, nope. That'd be all. I'll handle it from here. Thank you, Santana. It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." Angel left after that.

Brittany shook her head and pouted. "Are you sure you're okay? Does it hurt?"

"Nope. Don't worry about this, Britt. I'm good." I kissed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Okay." She said disbelievingly. "I just dropped by because you forgot this. It said 'urgent' on the title so I thought it must've been important."

"Oh gosh! Yes! I totally forgot about this. I'll need it for the meeting tonight. Thank you!"

"Tonight?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you I'll have a dinner meeting with papi?" I pulled Brittany to sit on my lap.

"Oh, right." She crossed her arms on my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

"Will you be okay tonight?" I guiltily asked her.

"Of course, babe. I'll be okay. Tina and I would probably stay a little late to make sure everything's fine."

"Don't work too late. Do want me to pick you up?"

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Positive."

"Okay, just in case something happens you call me right away."

"Yup, okay. I should probably go. I'm late for work."

I chuckled. "You're the boss. You have that privilege."

"Nope. That doesn't work for me."

"Okay, okay. I'll let you go for now. I'll see you at home."

"I love you." Brittany kissed me twice which made me smile wider.

"I love you too. Thank you again for dropping the files."

"No worries. See you tonight."

"I wish you could just stay here with me." I sighed.

"Me too. But we have stuffs to do, duchess. Bye for now." She kissed the tips of my nose which made me chuckle.

"Alright, alright. Call me by lunch."

"Will do."

Brittany left and I started responding to some emails.

...

"Hey baby." Brittany greeted me when I entered our room. She's already on the bed reading a book. It's already quarter to ten. I practically saw the weariness in her eyes.

"Hey." I greeted back and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"How's the meeting?"

"Oh, the usual. We had a few arguments but nothing to worry about."

"How's papi?"

"He's fine. He wants us to come visit." I rolled my eyes at the idea. It's like we haven't seen each other for years.

"They just missed us, you know that." Brittany sat up and pulled me into a hug. I kissed her neck. She smelled like vanilla, as always.

"Papi said they'll be spending Christmas at Rio with your parents. They are still hoping we could come. But I told them we'd really love to spend it here."

"Yeah, plus Noah has plans, remember?"

"Yes. I just didn't tell them that. I don't want them to get super excited and eventually spoil it."

"Well, they are a good keeper."

"Oh yeah?" I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yep." She chuckled.

"I promised him our New Year though."

"That's fine. So where are we going to celebrate New Year?"

"They still can't choose whether in Hong Kong or in Bangkok. Have you been there before?"

"I've never been to Hong Kong but I've been in Bangkok once."

"So, would you suggest we go to Hong Kong?"

"Well, if you want to."

"I won't mind going anywhere if I'm with you, B."

"I know. Shall we tell them we prefer in Hong Kong, then?" She brushed my cheek and yawned.

"M'kay." I whispered. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll just go get changed."

"No, I'll wait for you." She sleepily said.

"Okay, I'll be quick."

"M'kay." I tucked her in as she watched my every move. I smiled at her and gave her a chaste kiss before changing into my undies and her oversized shirt.

When I finished my night routines, Brittany was half asleep. I switched off the lights and went to bed.

"Babe…" I whispered when I pulled the covers and laid down beside her.

"C'mere, San." She pulled me to her. My head resting on her chest, she interlocked our hands and kissed me. "Good night, wife. I love you."

"I love you more, Britt-Britt. Get some sleep."

"San?" She spoke after a few minutes. I thought she was already asleep because her breathing was even.

"Yeah?"

"Christmas is coming."

"I know."

"What would you like to get?"

"I don't know. I already got everything I want."

"Me too, San." She rubbed my arm using her left hand. "Me too…"

"Hey, maybe we should get our own tree for Christmas."

"Hm, that's sounds nice. I know someone who could help us."

"Okay. We'll have to schedule that."

…

"Okay. That's great people. Bonuses are coming up before the end of the year. Make sure to seal every deal we have. Keep me updated. Meeting is adjourned. Thank you!" I stood up from my seat as Marley gathered my files and started talking about my schedule for the rest of the day.

"…and about Dani-" she said lastly but I cut her off.

"We can talk about that in my office. Thank you, Marley. For the meantime, can you order us some snacks? I'm starving."

"Okay, not a problem." Marley immediately went ahead as I checked my phone on my way back to my office.

"Hm, I kept on hearing about this Dani girl…" Angel appeared behind me holding some files.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Be careful, Santana. They are still watching your every move."

"It's not what you think. I'm happily married."

There's a look of doubt in her face but I just rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm just kidding. Jeez, Boss! Loosen up." She nudged my shoulder. "Year-end party is by Friday next week."

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I haven't told Britt yet."

"Hm, wife duties." Angel shook her head and smiled.

"Are you bringing someone special?"

"Hm, I don't know yet."

"You know Angel, we've known each other for quite some time and I don't even know if you're single or married."

Angel chuckled. "Well, some of us needs to be private." She joked. "I'll see who I can tag along in the party."

"Ha! You better. It'll be a blast for sure."

"I guess so. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

I watched as Angel went to the board room.

…

* * *

WILL UPDATE ASAP. Xxx


	8. Chapter 8: On Britt's POV

"I'm really sorry… I… I can't… I don't even know what to say aside from how sorry I am for doing what I did. I didn't mean to do it. So here's uh… here's everything that's left from what I have got. I promise you I'll pay the remaining. I know you don't trust me now… but I will give you the rest, just give me some time." Dani pushed the cash in front of me almost sobbing. I sighed exasperatingly. I clicked my tongue struggling what to say.

I sighed before responding. "Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why? Why did you do it? I just don't get it."

"I… I just had to. I freaked out. When grandma called and told me that she slipped on the floor, I just lost it. She's got a few broken bones… what else could I possibly do? I got no parents. No one's supporting us. I gotta pay her hospital bills and meds."

"I get that. What I don't get is why you didn't tell us –"

"That's because I'm embarrassed. I'm always late for work. I messed up the orders. You see? I'm not an ideal employee here. What could I have told you? That I needed to go to Phili and need my whole month pay?"

"Yes. You could've done that."

"That's bull – "

"Hey." I cut her off. "Listen, I know what you're going through okay? I understand why you're late sometimes. I know that you have three different jobs per week and manage to balance it with your studies. I get that. You messed up orders but who hasn't? I don't care about all that. You get paid based on the hours you spend here. My café isn't for the perfect but for all those who wanted to feel at home. It's okay to make mistakes. I do too. We all are."

"So, where are we getting at in here?" Dani kept her voice still.

I clasped my hand on top of my desk and leaned forward. "All I'm saying is, we trusted you. I was hoping you would do the same. Take that money to your grandma. She needs it. I'm giving you the rest of the weekend off but be here by Monday."

"But – "

"Or don't you need the job anymore?"

"I do… it's just that… why are you being so kind to me? I stole money from you… and you would still trust me?" Dani gave me a sarcastic laugh.

"I trust you. What happened was just between me, Tina and you. The rest don't know about this and they don't have to."

"What made you think that it won't happen again?"

"I just do because the next time you do something like this, you will have to take the consequences for your actions."

"Why are you so easy on me?"

"Because you're too hard on yourself already. Stop making things too complicated."

"It's still not fair on you."

"What would make it fair then?"

Dani thought about it for a while.

"I'll work for a week with no pay. In that way, I can pay for what I did."

"But you do realize that it's just a day income that was lost right?"

"I know. But, I have to take consequences for my actions right?"

"Okay. Fair enough."

Dani only nodded. I know Santana won't agree with me on this but I wanted to give Dani a chance. I know she's not like this. When people are in need they do something foolish that they regret later on. Everybody deserves a second chance.

"Okay." She sighed.

"Okay. So, again be back on Monday for your shift with Trish. I know the two of you get along well."

"Thanks." She stood up and walked to the door.

"Oh, and Dani…"

"Yeah?" She turned around.

"If something happens again… anything… you tell us, okay? We're a family here. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thanks. That really means a lot Mrs. LP."

I nodded and stare at the plain door after she left.

…

"Hi, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce. Oh, she didn't tell me you were coming." Marley greeted me just outside Santana's office.

"I kinda didn't tell her. Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. She's currently in a meeting but it'll be over any moment now." Marley scanned through her notes and at her watch. "That would be her last meeting for today."

"Great! I will just wait for her inside."

"Okay, would you like me to get you anything?"

"Um, nope. I'm good. Thank you, Marley."

"No problem. Nice flowers by the way."

I smiled warmly at her. "Thank you. I hope she'll like it."

"Trust me, she loves everything from you."

Marley went on to typing something on her computer and I made my way inside Santana's office. As clumsy as she may seem at home she is a totally different Santana at work. Everything is organized and neatly filed. From her shelves to her desk, every single thing is polished. I placed the flowers on the small coffee table and took off my coat. I noticed that there is an additional frame on her desk. I picked it up and saw that it was our wedding dance picture, it was one of her favorites.

"Yeah, don't forget to cc me on the reports. Thanks. Bye." I heard her say when she opened the door. I turned around immediately smiled.

"Britt?" Surprise was evident in her voice. "Baby!" She bit her lip to contain her smile and walked towards me.

I picked up the flowers from the table and handed it to her. "For you, love."

"Aw, these are beautiful. Thank you, B." Santana leaned in to give me a passionate kiss.

"Nah, I just happen to pick them up randomly on my way here." I shrugged and winked at her.

"You're such a dork." She kissed me again before guiding me to sit on the couch. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"Ha! Smartass. Are we supposed to go out or something?" I sat on the couch and pulled her to sit on my lap.

"Hm, we can if you want to." I kissed her cheek and smiled.

Santana looked at her watch. "Hm, it's still early. Do you want to cook?"

"Thought you wouldn't ask. I'm craving for a chipotle for a week now."

"Why didn't you tell me that? You could've have that sooner."

"Well, it was a busy week and I know you're tired."

"Never for you." Santana kissed the tip of my nose and stood up.

"Let me just get my stuffs and we'll hit the grocery. I also listed some of the things we need to buy."

Santana's a little domestic than me, I must say. You might think that we already know each other by now, but truth is, we're still trying to figure everything out together. They are right after all, we have come this far but we still have a long way to go.

"Okay, great!" I stood up to get our coats. I wore mine and waited for Santana. I helped her on her coat and hooked her scarf. "Shall we?"

I opened the door for my wife and talked for Marley for a little bit before we head out to the parking lot.

…

"Oh, I almost forgot your yogurt. Have you got them?" I asked Santana while we were scanning through the produce section.

"Um, I think not yet. Would you get them for me please?"

"Sure. It's in the next aisle right?"

"Yep."

"Be right back." I winked at her and left Santana to scan some vegetables. She's really meticulous when buying vegetables and fruits. I shortly got some yogurt for my wife and still found her where I left her.

"Didn't know that picking asparagus would be this hard of a choice." I joked and she just playfully rolled her eyes at me.

"I think strawberries would be great for that ice cream you're holdin', babe." Santana quirked an eyebrow at me.

I guiltily placed the yogurt and the carton of ice cream in the grocery cart. Santana laughed and shook her head.

"Do we have everything we need?" I asked.

"I think so."

"Alright. Come on now so we can start cooking dinner."

"Okay, Mrs. Bossypants. Lead the way." Santana and I pushed the carts towards the checkout counter.

"Good evening, ladies."

"Haven't seen you in a while, Judy." I said.

"Oh, I've been sick for a couple of days and then last week I just went on a three-day leave because my daughter just had my first grandson."

"Wow. That's great!"

"Congratulations, Judy." Santana greeted her. Judy has been our favorite here. She's young looking compared to other people at her age. She always seems so nice and accommodating. She would tell us random stories and advice. She could be a marriage counselor even!

"Young couple these days... they just don't know how to run a family. My son-in-law is nowhere to be found when my daughter is in labor. Can you believe that? My daughter seems not to care so much as well..." Judy ranted. "How about you guys?"

"What about us?" I asked.

"Aren't you planning to have a baby soon?"

"Oh, that." I laughed nervously. Santana uncomfortably cleared her throat.

"We uh, we haven't really talked about it much." Santana said. "But we'll get there."

"Well, enjoy yourselves first. Having a child is tough, take that from me, though it's worth it I tell ya. You just have to learn and help each other out. But from what I'm seeing I think you two will be just fine."

"Thanks, Judy." I warmly smiled at her.

"Britt, will be a great mom. I can assure you of that. She's been nothing but a great wife to me." Santana proudly said which made my heart swell.

"I am sure you are too, darling." Judy returned Santana's card and handed her the receipt. "Thank you for shopping with us, see us again lovebirds."

"Will do."

"Take care, Judy. Congratulations again." I picked up the grocery bags and walked beside my wife.

...

Santana and I started prepping as soon as we got home. We worked on our usual routines in the kitchen. I do the slicing while she does the cooking. We worked around the kitchen while enjoying some instrumental music that my wife picked.

"Smells so good." I said while watching her cook. I was sitting on the counter top while sipping some wine.

"It's almost done." Santana lowered the fire from the stove and smiled.

"Dance with me for a bit." I jumped off the counter top and moved behind Santana. I placed my hand on Santana's hips and swayed with her. She turned around and locked her arms around my neck. "I love seeing you in that apron, so hot."

"Really now?" My wife laughed.

"Yes, I'm serious."

"Fine. You are really a dork, B. Stop staring at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Nothing." Santana just smiled and took my hands in hers.

"I was thinking about what you said to Judy." I cleared my throat. "About me... being a great wife to you. To be honest, I'm still afraid that one day I'm gonna mess this all up."

"Hey." Santana squeezed my hands. "You are not going to mess up. You got me here. We're gonna make it work, okay?"

"I know. I don't doubt you -"

"Then don't stop doing that." She cut me off. "You also need to stop worrying about the future so much. People bend and break, okay? Britt, we're humans. We're allowed to do that once in a while. Okay, if this will make you feel a bit better, I'm also worried that one day we'll become like other couples. That after three or ten years they split up because their relationship became too monotonous or too toxic. I don't want that for us, you see? I married you. I chose to spend my lifetime with you. I will never get tired of your dorkiness and I hope you will never get tired of my lousy ass."

I laughed at her. "Touché." I answered and tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "Thank you, San. That really meant a lot."

"No, thank you for being honest with me. We'll make this work, Britt. I promise you that."

I nodded.

"I'm yours." She said and kissed me.

"Proudly so." I whispered when we parted.

"I know." Santana cleared her throat. "Okay, before we get our mack on, hand me a plate please."

Santana turned off the stove and I handed her the plate. We ate our dinner talking about some random stuffs we heard from the news. After that, I do the dishes while she prepares the bath upstairs.

"Quinn texted me." I said when I entered our room.

"Oh yeah?" What did she say?" Santana's voiced echoed in the bathroom.

"She was trying to call you."

"I left my phone downstairs." She peeked and bit her lip. "Is she okay?"

"I already got it here." I waved her phone and placed it on our bedside table. "She's fine. She just wanted to video chat. She misses us. I told her we'll call her later."

"Okay, come here."

Santana pulled me inside and helped me to undress. I helped her to get into the water and followed suit.

"Dani dropped by today." I said when we're finally settled.

"That girl who stole money from you?"

"Yeah, her grandmother is sick."

"Really?"

"Mhm. I know you know that."

"What? I don't." Santana denied.

"You know, you're not good at lying."

"Fine." Santana pouted.

"Thanks for doing that."

"I didn't do anything. I swear."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No, Marley did." Santana sighed.

"I know you won't approve but I told her to come back on Monday."

"I expected that from you." Santana leaned in to me and closed her eyes. I found her hands and interlocked our fingers.

"Are you disappointed?"

"Not at all. Don't worry about it. She won't do it again."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I said that we'll pay for her college fees until she got out of there. We made a deal."

"You gave her a scholarship?"

"Well… sort of. As long as she's going to work hard for it."

"Oh my gosh! What did you do to my wife?"

Santana playfully smacked my arm.

"Shut up."

I laughed at her and she eventually joined me.

"I almost forgot to tell you. Next week there'll be a year-end party. Will you go with me?"

"Of course. Would you rather go with someone else?" I joked.

"Hell no!"

"I thought so too."

"It'll be on Saturday night. It'll be a lame masquerade party."

"Oooh. Awesome!"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"It'll be fun. I'll be there. I'm sure mami and papi would be there too."

"I guess."

"Come on, I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Let's just hope for the better." Santana sighed.

I kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to me. It became quiet for a little while.

"So… I talked to my friend, Andre, he could take us to Christmas tree hunting whenever we're ready."

"Ugh, we should've done that right after we moved in here."

"We got busy. And we just moved here right after Thanksgiving so I know Santa would understand."

"It's better late than never."

"Correct." I agreed.

"First, we should make some space for it downstairs."

"Yeah, we can do that tomorrow."

"Oh, B, I gotta go to work tomorrow."

"What? On a Saturday? Seriously?"

"B –"

"Whatever." I sat up and slowly got out of the tub.

"I have to. I'll probably home after lunch." Santana tried to explain.

"We talked about this!"

"I know. We'll have to finish some reports. I have to be there."

"We talked about this." I repeated.

"I promise I'll be back by lunch. You won't even notice that I'm gone."

"You know what? Suit yourself."

"Britt!"

I wrapped myself up in a robe and got out of the bathroom.

…

"Love…" Santana found me sitting on the balcony after getting dressed. "It's cold in here."

She sighed when I didn't respond. Santana walked in front of me. She sat on my lap and enveloped me into a hug. My arms automatically clung to her body.

"I'm sorry… it's just that I had plans for us tomorrow." I whispered.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Britt… I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"I wanted to spend time with you. Weekends are supposed to be our time. Our alone time."

"I wanted that too."

"But, it's fine. I know work is important. I'll just stroll at Central Park while you're gone and have brunch. I'll bring Rocky with me."

"Oh gosh. I missed those bicycle rides with you. Fuck work! I'll just call them. I'm sure they're also looking forward to weekends."

"I'm not telling you to cancel –"

"It's okay. I want to, B. You're more important."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." Santana kissed me tenderly. "We can have a little picnic tomorrow. Just like the usual."

"Okay. Like the usual."

Santana and I usually go to random parks or museum during weekends. We would sometimes jog or bring Rocky (the bike which is a gift from my parents) for our morning or afternoon stroll.

"Then we can clear out some space for the tree after. Should we place it near the fireplace or just by the window?"

"I think by the window would be better."

"Okay."

"I'm also planning to go to Christmas Cottage to buy some decors."

"Well we could go after we hit the park."

"Sounds good."

"Are we okay now?"

"I guess." I shrugged.

"You guess?" Santana looked at me incredulously. "You guess?!" Santana bit her lip and started to tickle me.

"Stop."

"You guess?" She repeated.

I can't contain my laughter at her.

"S-Stop! San… Santana!" Santana giggled and continued to attack me.

"So we're good?"

"Y-yeah. Yes, we are."

"I'm sorry." She said seriously.

"It's fine. I hope you understand me."

"I do. Besides, I don't really want to go to work either. I'm just worried."

"Will they be okay?"

"Yes, I trust them. They should be."

"Okay. If you say so. It's good then."

Santana rested her head in my chest as I cuddled her closer to me.

"We should probably call Quinn now." I nudged her. Santana is on her sleepy state.

"I almost forgot about that."

"Let's get you inside." I slowly stood up and carry my wife inside. I carefully put her to bed and got the iPad from the desk. Santana wore her glasses as she dialed Quinn.

"Took you so long to call!" Quinn shouted at her.

"Hello to you too!" Santana sarcastically said.

"Hi Quinn. I missed you!" I sat beside Santana and waved at Quinn from the screen.

"I missed you too. I missed New York. I missed Puck. Oh, gosh! It's super boring in here. I wish I could go back soon."

"Aw, when can you go home?"

"Just in time for Christmas."

"What?" Santana nervously asked. "What do you mean 'just in time'?"

"Well, my boss wanted me to stay until the twenty fourth. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said immediately before Santana could say anything. Noah's proposal was already planned and good to go before midnight.

"I know we had plans guys."

"Wait, so are you going to be here on Christmas Eve or morning on the twenty fifth?" Santana asked.

"I'll try to be there before Christmas Eve. I'll just make some arrangements. I promise I'll help you cook, okay?" Quinn said totally oblivious of what'll happen.

"You better get your ass in here before Christmas Eve, Fabray!"

"Will do. So, how are you guys?"

I basically answered all of Quinn's questions. Santana was busy chatting Noah. He practically knew this would happen so he told her to 'chill'. Santana did eventually and joined the conversation with Quinn.

"Okay guys. It was fun talking to both of you."

"We'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Yep."

"Love you, Q!" Santana said.

"Love you guys. Bye."

My wife placed the iPad on the table and removed her glasses. I opened my arms and she climbed on top of me.

"Everything will be fine. Don't worry." I rubbed my wife's back and kissed the top of her head.

"I know, B. Puck's really excited about it."

"I'm excited for them too."

Santana sighed contentedly as I continued to rub her back.

"I love you, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce."

"I love you too, Sanny."

"Good night."

"Night-night, my love."

I switched off the lamp as I gently laid Santana down beside me. I pulled her closer and tightly held her into an embrace.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed this chap. :)


	9. Chapter 9: Uh-oh!

Guys, thank you so much for the reviews. I just thought no ones tuning in to this story anymore. How are you all? I hope everyone is doing fine. Sorry if this is a bit late for its season.

Anyways, I just wish I could find my own Britt/Santana.

You who are reading this, if you think you have found your Britt/San, your soulmate, your other half, please hold on to them. Never let them go. If you think you're tired, then rest but do not ever give them up. Don't suffer the same fate that I have.

* * *

"Does it look okay now?"

"Hm, you should bend it a little over to your right."

"Here."

"Yes. Perfect." Santana smiled approvingly. "Now, don't go down yet. Not yet."

"What?" I was about to go down the ladder when I finished putting up the star on top of our tree.

"Let me take a picture of your first. Stay like that."

Santana took pictures of how we decorated the house starting from the living room to the dining hall and even putting up the tree. She insisted that we take pictures for this will be our first Christmas holiday as a married couple.

She snapped several pictures of me before she helped me go down the ladder.

"Give me the camera…" I snatched it away from her and took pictures of her instead. I always like her candid shots. They're all so funny yet stunning because of course this is Santana Lopez-Pierce we're talking about. Everything about her was glorious.

We chased each other around our living room like dorks. Santana caught me and started a tickle fight. She always had the upper hand when it comes to this game.

"Okay, okay! I give up. S-stop! Please." I was laughing so hard that I could hardly breathe. She laid down beside me on the couch and pulled me closer to her.

"I never thought putting these stuffs could be so fun."

"It's fun because we did it together."

"Touché." She answered and kissed the top of my head. We stayed enveloped in each other's embrace for a while. "Do you want some hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Stay here. I'll make us some snacks."

"Love you."

"I love you too, B."

Santana disappeared to the kitchen and started making some hot chocolate. I started to clean up the mess in the living room and put the excess decors in a storage box. Santana came back just as I finished tidying up the living area.

"Are you cold? Should I stack more woods in the fireplace, love?"

"No, I'm fine. Are you cold?"

"Nope." She shook her head and placed the tray on the coffee table. "We should light up the tree now."

"Yes, I was just about to tell you that."

Santana plugged in the lights and our whole home went so alive. The tree looked so amazing. It has several pictures of me and Santana and some decors that represent something memorable to both of us. The tree somewhat tell our love story.

"It's breathtaking."

"It truly is." Santana whispered beside me. I caught her staring at me. I smiled lovingly at her. We dimmed the lights in the living room so the Christmas tree could stand out. Santana put some Christmas song as we enjoyed our hot chocolate and ham sandwich.

...

Monday went and there was nothing unusual. Santana and I exchanged a few messages in between our breaks. She was busier today and spent an extra hour at work. I decided to come home early so I could prepare a dinner for her. She deserved a nice home cooked meal after a tiring day at work.

I heard the gates opened and soon Santana's car hit the driveway. She gently opened and closed the front door.

"Britt? Are you home?" Santana shouted. I heard her heels clacking towards the kitchen. "I wondered why it smells so nice. Hmm…" Santana smiled and walked towards me.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind. I slightly turned to give her a kiss. Santana cupped my cheeks when I pulled away and closed the gap again. I smiled through the kiss. I rested my forehead on hers and whispered, "Hi."

"I missed you." She pecked on my lips again.

"I know. I missed you too. How are you?"

"I'm tired. You? How's the café?"

"I'm good. The cafe's been busy since it is Monday."

"I figured. So, what do we have here?"

"You'll see. Wait for me in the dining, will you? Just relax. Let me take care of you."

"You always take care of me, Britt. But, okay. I won't argue with you on that. Would you like me to fix the table instead?"

"It's done. Just wait for me there. If you want to make some calls, better do it now. I won't allow it later."

"Alright, fair enough. I'll just make a few phone calls."

"Okay, I'll be serving dinner soon. Better make them quick."

"Okay, love."

Santana disappeared to the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. I served dinner after a few minutes and found Santana typing on her phone.

"No phones in the dining now please."

"Yes, ma'am." Santana kept the phone and watched me as I placed the plates on the table.

"This looks mouthwatering, B. Can I at least take a picture? I'll just send them to Q and Puck."

"Nope. No phones."

"What?! Britt!"

"Nope."

"Camera perhaps?"

I laughed at her insistent plea.

"Still no, San. Don't push your luck. I know that it'd make them jealous or whatever… but spare them this, love."

"Okay, if you say so."

I prepared stake and scallops with asparagus and served it with her favorite red wine. I remembered how Santana loved them when we went to Chef Fed's cooking class.

"Thanks for the dinner, Britt. I could get used to this."

"You don't have to thank me. But thank goodness I was able to pull it off. I thought for a second that I'd ruin this recipe." I chuckled remembering how I almost overcooked the stake.

"It's just the way we like it. I really love coming home to you."

"Me too."

"If I'd known it would be like this, I would've found you sooner and married you right away."

"Now you understand why papi loves mami so much. Their love is timeless."

"It truly is. Gosh, those two! They're worse than teenagers."

I laughed when Santana rolled her eyes at the thought.

When we finished dinner, we decided to take a hot shower and watch a movie in the family room. Santana and I cuddled on the couch while watching some rom-com movie. I loved the sound of her laughter, it was almost innocent. She would kiss my shoulder from time to time while I would unconsciously kiss the top of her head.

"Have you ever told me who your first kiss was?"

"I don't know. I think I haven't yet. You never asked."

"I believed we talked about it once."

"Yeah?"

"But you never told me the name."

"Hm, I didn't? Well, you never get to tell me yours too."

"It was my childhood friend, Joe, his family was a friend of ours."

"Were you together back then?"

"No, I told you. I only had one serious relationship with Artie but it didn't last. Joe and I were just friends."

"Good to know."

"How about you then?"

"So Quinn or even Puck didn't say a thing about Jessica?"

"Jessica?"

"Yeah, she was my first."

The name sounded familiar. I just didn't know where I heard it from.

"She was my first everything, I guess." Santana continued. I tuned out from the movie and focused on my wife. "We met during sophomore year. I auditioned for cheerios. I think that's when we became close. We had been together long before we were really official. We just didn't know what to call it at first because we didn't know that we're gay so…"

"Oh, that Jessica!"

"Huh?"

"I remember now. Abuela is showing me your photo album when we visited her. There were some ripped pictures. It was Jessica am I right?"

"Those photos… yeah, she's with me with those pictures. She was my best friend next to Quinn. She almost became my world. We spent time almost every waking hour." I know that I shouldn't be feeling like this but to be honest I was a bit jealous that Jessica had spent more time with Santana than I have. "We toured and traveled a lot. We were in the same clubs. We were inseparable. We lasted for almost three years."

"What happened?"

"She left."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She whispered. "She just left."

I felt the need to hold Santana's hand. I thought it was more for me than for her. There was something behind her voice. Disappointment? Regret? It was beyond those. Santana's voice and body language became different whenever she would confess something that made an impact in her life.

"We don't have to talk about it." I said.

"Okay." She nodded.

I embraced Santana again and she leaned on me further. We fixed our gaze on the screen and I pretended to watch. I had a lot of questions but I didn't want to ask. Maybe some other time.

…

She was putting on her makeup while I continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror. I was really in awe of this person. I really cannot believe that she chose to be married to me. She could've chosen a lot of sophisticated women or live her life freely like before but instead she chose me.

"What are you thinking?"

She paused what she was doing and look at me. Our eyes met and I swear I saw her eyes shine even brighter.

"You're perfect." I whispered.

I was sitting comfortably in our boudoir, still watching her every move.

"Not as perfect as you are." She winked at me and went back to apply some finishing touches on her face.

My wife was wearing a black metallic sleeved gown while I wore a white jumpsuit with a thin golden belt. She wore her hair up in a bun while I just let my hair down. It's really funny how we contrast one another.

When she was finally done, I walked towards her. My eyes never leaving her beautiful features.

"A lot would've fought to have this duchess. My beautiful, beautiful duchess." I whispered again and wrapped my arms around her slender body.

"You smell like home, Britt. As always." She leaned back into my embrace. "I love you." She said and our eyes locked again.

"I love you too."

Santana interlocked our fingers. We stayed like that for a while, we almost lost track of time.

"Shall we go now, love?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet." I scrunched my brows in confusion. "Dance with me first?"

I bit my lip to keep myself from giggling.

"It would be my pleasure." I said and slowly turned her around.

She crossed her arms around my neck while my hands rest at her lower back. We leaned our foreheads together and swayed. Santana hummed our favorite song. There are a lot of perfect moments whenever we're together but I think I'd add this moment to my list of favorites. When the song ended I pulled her closer and closed the gap between us. My wife's lips are so soft and plump as always. That's why I cannot get enough of her kisses.

"Now, we shall go." She said when our lips parted slightly.

I nodded and gave her a chaste kiss before we left for the party.

We were picked up by a limousine and arrived at the year-end party a little late. Before we went out of the car, Santana pulled out a box from the seat beside her. I didn't notice them before because I was too distracted looking at my wife.

"I almost forgot about this." Santana handed me the box and I opened it slowly.

"What is this?" I asked.

"I have to personalize them so I could recognize you easier just in case we got lost in the crowd."

I opened the box and saw a pair of masks. They were gold masquerade masks with crystals.

"Wow, these are stunning."

"I thought so too. It would suit you well, love." Santana squeezed my hand. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go."

As soon as the car door opened camera flashes welcomed us. We were almost blinded when we got inside the hotel. We said our greetings to some of Santana's colleagues and found her parents. We were introduced to the new stockholders and to some old men whom I did not really remember the names.

It was really nice to see people gather like this. It reminded me of when I used to work for dad's company. It was exactly the same. Women chatted in their tables, men laughed at the bar, waiters are busy executing orders… it brought back good memories.

"Are you okay?" Santana nudged me. We were seated in the VIP area. "I told you this would get boring, we could leave if you want."

"No, I'm okay. I'm actually enjoying myself."

"Really? How many glasses of wine have you had?"

"San, I'm okay. Really." I held her hand and smiled. "Look around you. You will not often see people bond like this everyday. Everyone is having a great time. So should you. What are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be mingling around… even with your team?"

"Blah! Why should I? I got you here. You're all I need."

"If you're worried about me, I can assure you that I'll be fine. You know me, I'm good with talking to people – "

"And I'm not. You know how I get when people talk to you."

Santana was always the jealous one even though she wouldn't admit it.

"Look at this." I raised my hand and showed her our wedding ring. "They'll know I'm yours."

"But Britt –"

"Go."

"Brittany!" Santana whined.

"Go now. I'll talk to mami for a bit. I'm sure she's dying to get out of that table." I looked at the direction of Santana's mom who's animatedly talking to some women in their table.

"I'll be back okay? Keep your phone close to you."

"Yes, ma'am. Roger that."

Santana kissed me on the cheek and socialized with other people.

"Hey…" a familiar voice came behind me.

"Oh, hi Angel! How are you?" I smiled when Angel took off her mask and sat beside me.

"I'm good. A little exhausted with all the talking though." I laughed at her. "You look really, really beautiful Mrs. Lopez-Pierce."

"Thank you. You're really pretty too. And please call me Brittany."

"Thanks."

"Why don't sit here with me for a bit then?"

"Where's Santana?"

"I told her to go. I think she's looking for her team."

"I see. So, I'll just bother you for a while."

"Oh please do so. You know how parties like this can get."

We both laughed and we started talking about random things.

"So, where's your date tonight?"

"She's talking to some acquaintances. I eventually lost her in the crowd."

"Does she work here as well?"

"Oh, no. She lives in Australia now with my half-brother. She's been sent here to get some medical equipment so I decided to bring her here tonight."

"How nice of you."

"Yeah, I rarely see them. They are both doctors. I'll introduce her to you later."

"Okay then. So, you're not dating anyone?" I curiously asked.

"I am. She's a lawyer in Canada. I wanted to bring her but she can't come here until Christmas."

"Too bad."

"It's fine. We're used to it. Here, take a look." She showed me a picture of her. She's really beautiful with short black hair and hazel eyes.

"She's pretty like you. What's her name?"

"She's Bella."

"How long have you and Bella been together?"

"We're together for about four years now. We're planning to settle here in New York. She's been offered to teach in NYU."

"Wow! That's really great."

"Well, nothing is decided yet. But, we'll see. I'm looking forward to moving in with her."

"You really love her don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You and San are very alike." I shook my head. "You keep on denying the obvious."

"Well, she's a great mentor." Angel joked. "You know, Santana really changed. I've known her even before she worked at The Tower. Girl, she was really stubborn and prideful."

"Yes, she was."

"But she's not like that anymore. You really did a good job."

"Oh no. It's not me. Santana changed for the better because of her. I'm not going to take credits for that."

"Whether you like it or not, you are one of the reasons why she's that person now, Brittany."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Is it tough though?" she asked and I gave her a questioning look. "Tough being married to someone?"

"Hm, well... to be honest, married life isn't that tough. Maybe because Santana and I have been through a lot even before we marry each other. It's give and take. We have our ups and downs from time to time but we work it out. We really love each other and we would do anything or everything just to make it work, you know?"

Angel smiled. "I hope Bella and I would be like that."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

Angel nodded, we talked for a bit more and drank some wine.

…

Santana found me chatting comfortably with mami and some of her friends. We talked about the video presentation that we've watched during the program.

"Hello, ladies." She greeted them politely.

"Mija, where have you been?" Mami asked her.

"I just had a few drinks with my team." Santana looked at me apologetically.

"It's fine." I whispered. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, they wanted to meet you." She enthusiastically told me.

"Okay. But, will you dance with me first?"

The real party already started. Most people were already enjoying the dance floor. Some sweet music currently played in the background.

"Let's go." Santana excused us and dragged me to the dancefloor.

We found our spot in the middle because it was a little crowded.

"You look stunning." She looked directly to my eyes.

"Well, here I thought I'd never hear you say that." Santana laughed. "I'm just kidding, San. You know, you just made me fall in love with you harder seeing you in that dress tonight. Can I take off your mask? I really wanted to see you."

"I dying to see your face too, B."

We gently removed each other's masks.

"There." I said. "Much better." I rested my forehead against hers as we continued to dance with the music.

"I can't wait to go home with you." I whispered and kissed just the tip of her ear. "Seeing you in that dress is making me crazy."

I felt Santana's body tensed for a second.

"Oh yeah?" She whispered in her raspy voice. "What would you do then?"

"First, I'll kiss you so hard that you'll beg for more."

"And then?"

"Then, if you're behaved maybe there's a chance that I'll rip you off of that dress and throw you on the bed."

Santana moaned at the thought. Her breathing slightly changed.

"And?"

"And I'll start to touch you, lick you, and kiss every part of you. I'll relish every bits of you, Santana." I said slowly.

"Britt…"

"I'll make you want for more."

Santana closed her eyes when the music just ended. Her lips parted. I gave her a chaste kiss after.

"Ladies…" A photographer cleared his throat and politely asked for a picture of us. Santana nodded and he snapped a few photos and left.

We danced and teased each other for a few more minutes before Santana's friends at work found us.

…

"This is Ally, the marketing manager." I shook hands with them as Santana continued to introduce me to her staffs. "This is Carter who worked alongside with me and this is Mel, our marketing specialist… then Ralph, Penny, Ben, and Josh."

"Pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." Ben shook my hand and smiled.

"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you too guys."

"I heard you own that café in Second Avenue. We've been there before. The place looked so fab." One of her staffs told me.

"Oh yeah, and great artwork too. The photographs are all so alive."

"She took those photos." Santana said.

"You did?" Josh (who reminded me of Kurt) asked.

"Yes, she loves to travel and do volunteer works before."

"Wow. Impressive. Did you take photography classes?" Carter asked me.

"No, I didn't have the time. Plus, I just like to do it as a recreational activity."

"My wife's taking a class downtown and she's almost as good as you." Ben said.

"Do you plan on having an exhibit?" Ally asked.

"Oh, no. Not really."

"I kept on persuading her to do that for a very long time, Ally." Santana laughed.

"Well, keep on pushing her boss."

The conversation diverted to some of their accomplishments this year. I was really proud of Santana. She seemed to get along so well with her team unlike before.

"You all did well this year and I'm sure will do as good next year or even better." My wife proposed a toast for her team. We were all having a great time. Some of them went back to the dancefloor. Ben then introduced me to his wife and we talked about the classes she's having. She invited me to come which I said I'll try to reconsider.

"Hey guys!" Angel went to our table. "I was looking for all of you. I want to congratulate you for this successful year."

"We owe it to you and boss Santana." Carter said.

"So, where's the date you're talking about?" I asked Angel.

"Ooh, so we're going to finally meet your date now." Santana teased.

"What? Ms. Burn, you're dating someone? I didn't know about that." Ralph asked with a bit of a shock.

"Too bad, Ralph. She's taken." Santana teased. "Stop crushing on her."

Ralph sighed jokingly and emptied his glass of scotch.

"Sorry Ralph but I'm not available since four years ago."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" All of us in the table teased them more.

"Didn't know you were dating someone."

"Well, some of us like to keep things private." She smirked at Santana.

"Whatever." Santana rolled her eyes at her jokingly.

"Unfortunately, my bride-to-be isn't here tonight. She can't make it."

"Then, who are you with?" Ally asked.

Angel looked around. "She was just here. Let me just go get her." She excused herself.

"I can't believe it. She's getting married to a woman!" Ralph shook his head.

"Sorry, man. You just lost your shot." Carter patted him and laughed.

"Boss, how do you guys find hot girls and marry them? What's your secret?" Ralph seriously asked my wife.

We all laughed at him so hard.

"Hey, guys…" Angel went back after a few minutes with someone behind her.

We looked at her and Santana froze beside me instantly. Her hand gripped mine tightly. "This is my sister-in-law, Dr. Jessica Burns. Jessica, these are my friends from the marketing team."

* * *

So, what do you think should I do next? **Please write down your suggestions.** I'd really, really appreciate them! Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10: Art of Forgiveness

"It's been four days and to be honest I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry to bother you." Brittany sat opposite Angel.

"I should be the one apologizing. I didn't know they had a history." Angel sighed. "I'm really, really sorry, Brittany. I really didn't know. If I knew I wouldn't have invited her on the first place."

"But she must've know right?"

Angel nodded. "She explained everything to me."

"Why do I feel so defeated right now?" Brittany laughed ironically.

Angel leaned back and took a sip of her coffee. Brittany invited her to come over the café. Over the past few days she felt like she was in a labyrinth. She just didn't know how to react or even think about what has happened.

"How dare she come just like that? Like nothing has happened." She looked outside and watched as the truck plowed the snow.

"She wanted to talk to her."

"Why now? After all these years?"

"She thinks she needed closure."

"Santana's doing fine… great even! She doesn't need any closure."

"You know that's not true."

Brittany shook my head in defeat and sighed. "You asked me before if it is tough… now, I think, I can clearly say that it is. We go on our lives everyday like nothing happened. She hasn't spoken to me about it. Whenever I would start a conversation she would tense up and change the subject immediately. It's scaring me. The way Santana's acting is… really terrifying. She's bottling it up. I know her so well but I don't want to push her."

"If there's anything that I can do to help please tell me."

"I don't know how to help her too." Brittany's grip tightened around the cup I was holding.

"They both went through a lot." Angel looked down and bit her lip nervously.

"I want to understand."

"Do you want to talk to her? She'll be leaving after Christmas."

"No… I don't know. I mean, what should I ask her? What should she tell me? I don't even know her. She's a complete stranger to me. You see… I don't know if I can even look at her. It's Santana whom she should talk to. An explanation is the least that she deserves next to apology."

"I know, Brittany. Call me whenever you have time. We'll set up a meeting."

"I don't know when that'll happen."

"Take your time. Let Santana to think about it too."

There was a short pause. They finished their cups of coffee in silence.

"Look, I have to go." Angel placed her mug on the table.

"Thank you, Angel." Brittany told her before she left. "Thank you for listening."

"You take care."

Brittany wasn't able to think of a better reply so she nodded instead.

…

"How's she doing?" Quinn asked. She called Brittany through Facetime.

"The same."

"Give her some time, Brittany." She said with a reassuring smile.

"I'm giving her all the time that she needs, Q."

"You're doing great, you know that right?"

Brittany sighed and shook my head. Quinn evidently saw the exhaustion in her friend's face. She felt bad and wanted to go home sooner but she can't.

"Am I?"

"You really are, Brittany." Quinn's tone was more serious than before. "You know, your wife seems to keep all to herself before but I believe that she's a different person now. A better one because of you. I remember when she was just planning to propose to you, she told me that you are the most important person in her life and she wouldn't do anything just to screw up. She'll get better for you, Brittany. All you have to do is to make her feel that you're there for her no matter what."

"Then why do I feel that I'm not doing enough?"

"Oh, honey. Trust me, you are. Just hold on, okay?"

"Quinn, she's not okay. I know that some parts of her are breaking since it's like the scars opened up to new wounds and I can't do anything to heal it." Brittany was not able to hold back the sob that she was keeping all these days. "I pretended to be okay, to be strong for Santana so that she could open up but she wouldn't let me see her pain."

"Listen, that's the thing about Santana right? She wouldn't let you see her pain but eventually you will. Let her open up in her own pace."

"I just don't know what to do."

"I'll try to be there as soon as I can."

"No, Quinn… just… it's okay. We don't want to ruin…" Quinn cut me off.

"You're not ruining anything. Puck will be there the day after tomorrow. I'll be there by Friday."

"Jessica wanted to talk to Santana."

"I know. That's why she's there."

"But why now?"

"We don't know about that, hon. But, will you be okay with that?" Quinn hesitantly asked.

"What?"

"Will you let them talk?"

"Um…" Brittany haven't really thought about it. "I don't know. I guess they both needed closure after all."

Quinn nodded.

"I have to go, Q."

"Yeah, me too. I'll call you later."

"Okay."

"Hang in there. Everything will be fine."

"I hope so."

"Trust her. She's going to be okay and so are you."

Brittany gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Quinn."

"Love you, Brittany. Be strong."

"Love you too. Bye."

…

Brittany got home a little after seven. Santana said she'll be a little late and asked Brittany not to wait for her. They were both too tired of thinking. Brittany decided to put on a relaxing bath hoping that it would calm my nerves. She closed her eyes and leaned back comfortably in the tub. Her mind was buzzing, it's like the memories of her and Santana were flashing in her mind like a movie or something.

She remembered the first time they have met. It was like they only just met yesterday. Brittany could still remember the way Santana furrowed her brow in confusion when Brittany sat in front of her and the way she tried to suppress her smile. She remembered the sound of her laughter that made Brittany's heart swell and the way she bit her lip whenever she would look at Brittany's lips. She was so mesmerized by Santana. There's no word that could fully describe how drawn she was to her. It seemed that fate has laid a hand on them. She was not expecting something so surreal or dreamlike to happen but then Santana came and made her see that in an oddly way fairy tale do exists. The moment they met, in an instant they are spellbound to each other.

"Baby…" something nudged Brittany in her dreamy state. "Britt…" she called again. "Brittany, wake up. The water's getting cold. You might get sick." Santana caressed her cheek for a moment. Brittany slowly opened her eyes. "Sorry, I'm late." Santana whispered. "Let's get you out of here okay?"

"I'm cold." Brittany muttered.

"I know." Santana chuckled a little bit. "Come here." Santana helped Brittany to get out of the tub. She enveloped her wife in a fresh towel and kept her wife close. They walked inside their room and instructed Brittany to sit down on the bed. She came back with a sleeping clothes for Brittany.

They remained quiet as Santana dressed her wife. When they finished, Santana went to change her clothes. She found Brittany lying on her back.

"Did you eat?" Santana asked and laid down beside her.

"No, I'm so tired."

"Wait here. I'm going to prepare something for you."

"No, no. I'm fine, San. Just… come here." Brittany opened her arms for Santana. Santana obliged. Brittany shifted them so Santana was lying on top of her. She massaged Santana's head using her right hand. Her left arm was securely embracing Santana.

"Are you okay?"

Santana took a long time to answer.

"Yeah." Her short reply.

"Let's go to sleep, love." Brittany did not ask for further questions. She turned off the lamp. Santana settled beside her. They held each other, both were wild awake. It took an hour for Santana's breathing to even out. Brittany still could not sleep. She gazed at Santana with the small beam of light the moon provided her.

"I love you." She whispered to Santana. "No matter what happens, I'll be here. I love you so much." She tightened her embrace to Santana, too careful not to wake the sleeping brunette.

Brittany could not sleep. She was really worried about her wife. She wanted to do something more for her but she just doesn't know what or how she can make her wife feel that she's not alone. She sincerely respect the way Santana was acting. They still have their own boundaries even though they're already married.

Brittany slowly got out of their bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She rummaged the fridge as well as their food storage and gathered some ingredients. She made a mental note to drop by the grocery since they're almost out of stock.

While reheating some left over chicken, she made herself a cup of tea.

She felt strong arms enveloped her from behind. "I was wondering where you went." Santana whispered.

"I couldn't sleep."

"I know."

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Did you not eat?" Brittany looked over her shoulder ready to scold Santana.

"I did. Mami sent over some food for me and papi."

"Oh, that's good." Brittany sighed in relief. "Take a seat. I'll just finish this. Do you want coffee?"

"I'll just share your tea if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not, silly!" Brittany smiled genuinely at her. "This won't be long."

Santana took a seat on the stool. She watched her wife's every move silently. Brittany occasionally glanced at her and smile.

"I love you too." Santana mumbled.

Brittany stopped to look at her curiously.

"You said that you love me. I heard you… or is that a dream?" Santana cleared her throat. "Anyways, I love you. Always have and always will. You know that right?"

Brittany nodded. "Of course."

Brittany finished preparing the sandwich and shared it with Santana. They ate in silence. After they finished eating, they moved to the living room. Santana went to get a blanket and pulled Brittany close to her. They watched as the fire kindled in the fireplace. There was a faint sound of fire crackling.

Santana sighed. Brittany rested her head on Santana's shoulder. Santana rubbed Brittany's arm to keep her warmer.

"We met accidentally. She wasn't supposed to be in the cheering squad. She was there in replacement of her friend. She was way too shy for someone who's older. She's the exact opposite of me. We did not expect anything to get serious between us. She was in a relationship when we started hanging out. A year after we met a lot has changed. We became closer and closer." Santana started to finally talk. Brittany's all ears to her. She kept an open mind and did not interrupt Santana. "During her first year in college not much has changed. We kept in touch. We visited each other during breaks and holidays." Santana paused and played with Brittany's hand for a moment. "It was almost so perfect. Then came another year. We started cancelling our dates, our calls turned into short texts, small talks turned into arguments… we grew tired of it. I went to visit her one time and reconciled. Everything went back to normal for a week and then…" Santana shook her head. "And then she went away. We weren't able to locate her. Rumors spread but I did not believe any of it. I was so in love with her. I waited for her until I became numb and tired. Eventually, I just gave up waiting and wishing that she would come back."

"She shuttered you." Brittany wasn't able to hold back.

"She did." Santana nodded. "She was my first, Britt. I can't believe she just left me like that."

"I'm sorry that you have to experience that, San." Brittany looked at Santana. Tears rushed out of her wife's eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Santana sniffed and wiped her face. She took Brittany's hands again and look at her. "I did not regret meeting someone like her. I've learned a lot from the pain she caused. You know, I'm also grateful that Jessica and I didn't end up together. Thanks to her for letting me go. I was given another chance in this lifetime to love someone who is far better than her in every aspect that there is. I am so madly in love with you. She is nothing to me now."

"But why… why didn't you tell me this sooner? Why did you keep all these to yourself?"

"I'd like to apologize for that Britt…"

"I wanted to understand."

"I know. I'm really sorry for not talking to you about this. I was working late for a reason. I didn't want you to think that I still care about her so I kept it a secret."

"Keep what a secret? San, what are you talking about?"

"I had her investigated."

"You did what?" Brittany was at lost for words.

"I had to find out why she was here. I know that she wanted to talk to me but I can't talk to her without knowing her agenda." Santana bit her lip.

"And?" Brittany coaxed her to continue.

"...and I haven't found anything." Santana clicked her tongue.

Brittany let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Why don't you talk to her, San?"

"For what?"

"I don't know."

"We have nothing to talk about. I have nothing to say to her."

"Well she does. She has a lot."

"I don't care."

"I know." Brittany gently kissed Santana's hand. "I love you and I hate to tell you this but I think you two should talk. You don't have to say anything to her, you just have to listen. I know she has a lot to explain to you. Why don't you just try and talk to her, San?"

"What if I don't want to?" Santana stubbornly asked.

"Then you don't have to." Brittany smiled reassuringly at her wife. "I will not push you to do something you do not want to do."

Santana nodded.

"But will you think about it?"

"I am, Britt. Believe it or not."

"Thank you. Will you let me know of your decision?"

Santana hugged Brittany and buried her head in Brittany's chest.

"Of course, love. You know everything about me."

Brittany kissed the top of her head.

"Good."

...

They decided to take a break from work the following day so they woke up a little late. Santana prepared their lunch while Brittany is on the shower. Brittany came downstairs to join Santana in the dining afterwards. She found Santana taking a comforting sip of her coffee while reading a newspaper.

"Hey babe." Brittany kissed the top of her head and took a seat beside her wife. "Any good news?"

"Same old." Santana sighed and folded the newspaper. "Here's your tea."

"Thanks." Brittany looked outside and pouted. "Our garden looks so sad."

Santana chuckled. "The snow ruined them all. I'm sorry, baby." Brittany sighed and nodded. "Come on. Don't be too sad. I'll call my mom's gardener to fix it right after winter."

"It's okay. I guess I'll have plenty of time to do that."

"Okay then." Santana took Brittany's hand and kissed it. "I'm here if in case you need a hand." She said and winked at her wife.

Santana then fixed her wife a plate of salad and went through their plans after Christmas.

After their late lunch, they went to the grocery. There's a long line in every counter.

"Isn't it too early to shop for Christmas Eve?" Brittany asked mindlessly while they slowly wander through the aisles.

"I guess?" Santana replied while she go through their list. "Oh, we also need some honey and whipped cream. You forgot to add them here…" She bit her lip and went through the list again. "…and babe, will you make some carrot cake for me? I'm craving for it since last night." Santana continued but noticed that Brittany's no longer walking beside her. "Britt?"

She looked back and saw Brittany stopped a few steps behind her.

"What?" Santana asked clueless.

"What are the odds..." Brittany said in a low tone.

"Hm?" Santana followed Brittany's line of sight.

Standing in front of them was Jessica. She's holding a small grocery basket. She looked a little shocked to see the two of them.

"H-hi." She said in a small voice then cleared her throat.

"Hey." Brittany greeted back when she felt her wife tensed. She slowly walked beside Santana.

"Hm." Santana acknowledged her.

"Nice to see the two of you."

"Well, I wish I could tell 'ya the same." Santana scoffed.

"San…" Brittany warned.

"What?"

"Be nice." She whispered.

"It's okay." Jessica smiled a little. "I, uh, well… see you around." She nodded towards Brittany and walked passed them.

"Santana!" Brittany hissed at her wife.

"Britt."

Brittany arched an eyebrow at Santana.

"Fine." Santana sighed defeated. "Wait." She called back, Jessica stopped and turned to look at them. "Let's talk."

"Oh." Jessica was taken aback. "O-okay. We'll set –"

"No, let's talk now."

Both Santana and Jessica was surprised.

"I mean, right after Britt and I finished shopping. There's a small café downtown. Let's meet there in an hour."

"Okay, I think I know that café."

"Okay." Santana nodded. "See you then."

"See you." Jessica nodded as Santana turned around. "Thank you." Jessica mouthed towards Brittany. Brittany smiled genuinely at her and followed as her wife continued strolling.

They were silent for a while. Brittany didn't expect that Santana would talk to her that soon. She was glad nevertheless. She's a bit anxious but she trusts her wife more than anything.

"I'm sorry." Santana broke the silence. "I should've asked you first." She looked so apologetic.

Brittany almost laughed at her.

"San, you don't have to apologize to me. You needed to do that anyway. I'm glad… like really glad. At least you'll have nothing to think about anymore."

"Are you okay with me talking to her?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Britt, she's my ex."

"So?"

"So… aren't you going to get mad or anything?"

Brittany sighed and unexpectedly pulled her wife into an embrace.

"I will never be mad. I promise." She pulled back and looked at her wife adoringly. "I love you and I trust you more than anything or anyone. To be honest, I was worried but now that you've finally decided to talk to her I'm actually relieved. I'm so proud of you, you know that?"

Santana smiled and bit her lip.

"You are so brave."

"And I'm very lucky to have you." Santana placed a gentle kiss on her wife's lips. "I love you too."

"Good." Brittany chuckled. "I promise that when you get home later a fresh carrot cake will be waiting for you."

"I can't wait."

"But talk to her first, okay? Give her a chance to talk and you listen carefully. Will you promise you'll keep an open mind?"

"B, it's as if you're talking to a three-year-old child!" Santana pouted.

"Well, you can be like that at times."

"Fine. Fine." Santana playfully rolled her eyes. "I will."

"Better." Brittany kissed her and tugged Santana to continue their grocery shopping.

Meanwhile, Jessica was on the other aisle watching them.

…

"Sorry, I'm a little late." Santana casually said when she arrived at the coffee shop.

"No, I'm early." Jessica said politely. "Do you want something to drink? I could –"

"Hey, Carlos! The usual please." Santana shouted at the playful barista behind the counter.

"Coming right up!"

Santana cleared her throat as she sat comfortably in her chair.

"I'm really glad that you've finally decided to talk to me. Thank you."

"Yeah."

There was a short pause. No one dared to talk. They were sharing a very uncomfortable and unwelcome silence.

A little while later, Carlos came and placed Santana's coffee in front of her with a plate of caramel bars.

"Hey Carlos. I didn't order these bars."

"It's on the house. Guess who called." He smirked at her. She nodded knowingly.

"She's really sweet." Jessica can't help but notice.

"Huh?"

"Your wife. She's… she's really sweet."

"Yeah, but she's more than that."

"I bet she is." Jessica said.

"Look," Santana leaned forward. "I didn't come in here to talk about Brittany, okay?"

"I know. Santana, I…" Jessica sighed. "I'm really at lost for words right now. I'm sorry. Like really, really, really sorry. I know you wouldn't understand."

"Then make me." Santana said. She promised Brittany that she'll listen to everything she has to say. Santana's hands are trembling but she didn't show Jessica any of her reactions.

"Things back then was really rough. I shouldn't have left you but I have to."

"Why?"

"I just have to."

"If you can't tell me then I better leave. I don't want to hear your apologies. I wanted to understand but I guess you couldn't even give me a proper explanation."

Jessica bowed down her head as tears rolled down her face.

"I'm sorry but I think we're just wasting our time." Santana gathered her stuffs and stood up. She turned around to leave but Jessica spoke.

"Breast cancer." She whispered but Santana heard and she instantly froze in her spot. Jessica cleared her throat and wiped her face. "I had breast cancer." She looked at Santana whose facing the doorway. She slowly turned around and looked down at Jessica. Santana didn't know how to react. Saying that she was shocked would be an understatement.

"Wh-what?"

"I had a cancer." Jessica's lips trembled until she wasn't able to hold back her sobs anymore. Santana sat back on her chair. She felt as if someone knocked her off. Her throat restricted her from producing any sound. There's a tight knot on her stomach and she felt dizzy. Extreme emotions rushed through her all at once. "During the second semester of my first year, I started noticing some bruises in my left side. I shrugged it off thinking that it was just normal since I played softball... all those training and stuffs. But second year came, I found out that I had a lump in my left breast. It ached for weeks. I told my parents about this and they have me checked right away. It was already in stage two. I didn't know what to do."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was about to but decided against it. I knew you weren't doing great in school. Your mom told me that you're slowly falling apart again. You're distant as ever. If I told you it would've shuttered you completely."

"That's not even your decision to make!" Santana snapped, tears started to clog up in her eyes.

"I had to. I can't risk for you to see me like that. I was a mess." Jessica closed her eyes.

"I could've been there for you."

"I know… but, I don't want to. I asked my parents to keep it a secret from you. I even asked them to cut off every connection that they have from your family."

"How could you?" Santana hissed at her. "How could you do something like that?!"

"Santana, there's nothing left of me to offer you. They took everything away! My youth, my body, my life… everything! Soon after they removed my left breast they found out that the tumor spread already. I had to decide. After that, I practically died from chemo. I couldn't even walk or stand or even lift my hands. Do you know how hard it is? Seeing yourself drifting away from the life you used to love and cherish? I lost everything… I was afraid that I would die." Jessica leaned forward and covered Santana's shaking hands in hers. "We had our plans ahead of us. We already planned our future together, remember?" Jessica took a deep breath. "I had to let you go so you can move on with your life. I knew that you'd been through hell when I left but it was still the best option that I could think of. I'd rather have you hating me, thinking all the rumors were true than see me like that. I couldn't afford for you to see me fall apart. I don't want you to skip your youth and everything good about this world. I want you to remember me as perfect as I was before."

"Jess…" Santana shook her head. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"No, no, no. Ssshhh. Don't say that." Jessica wiped the tears off of Santana's face. "No. Don't apologize."

"I didn't know."

"It's okay. I'm okay now."

"I was so selfish."

"I didn't want you to blame yourself like this that's why I didn't tell you. You are the most generous person I know. If I had told you the truth I know you would give up everything just to be with me. I can't do that to you. You're already building your life."

"But, I deserved to know. Jeez, I... I just... I'm really sorry."

"Stop. Please, stop. You don't have to say sorry. Everything turned out fine. Letting you go doesn't mean that I didn't love you or didn't care for you at all. It was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life."

"I'm really sorry. I hated you for so long. Gosh, how stupid I am for blaming you."

"Oh, Santana." Jessica smiled through her tears. "I'm fine. They took a good care of me. We both have been through a lot."

"We had. You had a good fight with life. You just prove how strong you are."

"I did, didn't I?" Jessica sighed. "It was one hell of a fight."

"You shouldn't have fought it alone."

"I didn't. I have my family. I have you… at least in my memories."

"What happened after?" Santana curiously asked.

"A few years after I'm cancer free, I moved to Hawaii. I planned to go back here. I wanted to explain everything to you sooner but I didn't have the courage to do it. I kept on postponing everything until I got busy doing volunteer works. Then, I met Angel's brother who was a resident doctor at that time. He encouraged me to study and become a doctor."

Santana nodded. "Is he good to you?"

"He is." Jessica gave her a small smile.

"Are you happy with your decisions?"

Jessica pondered for a bit. "Yeah." She nodded and looked at Santana. "I think I am."

"I'm glad that you are."

"I hope you can forgive me?"

"For leaving or for not telling me the truth?" Santana asked.

"For everything."

Santana only nodded.

"I'm sorry for hurting you."

Santana shook her head. "No. You don't have to. There's really no guarantee in life especially in our relationship. Life really has a funny way of making us realize why it didn't work out before."

"I know. She's lucky to have you."

"Hm, I'm the lucky one."

...

 **My apologies for the long wait for this chapter! Let me know if you want more :)**


End file.
